Is it True or Forced Love?
by I.heart.good.fiction
Summary: "Get married or it's over." Switzerland can hardly comprehend the order from his boss. He's always loved Lili, but does he love her THAT way? Well if he doesn't, or she doesn't, Vash will be forced to evict her. He has 7 days to marry or get rid of her.
1. Get Married or it's Over

_AN: My first Hetalia fic! Good spelling and grammar are promised._

_Before anyone says this is incest, I figure they aren't really related, he just found her lying around. She was actually Austrian to start. Their paring would be weird if they were the same age as in the anime...that'd be pedophilia. I picture it like Padme and Anakin from Star wars...would've been weird in the first movie where she was 14 and he was 9...but it wasn't weird in the second one when he was 19 and she was 24. Lolz._

_Warning; some bad language. And I'm sorry if I got the ages wrong or whatever, I had to adjust them to fit the story. Also, my computer says you spell Lichtenstein like this. If it's Leichtenstein, I apologize._

_Please review; flames welcome. Anything to improve!_

_I should update pretty regularly now that summer has come._

_Enjoy this Bildungsroman (coming of age tale)/cute romance between these two!_

**Summary:**

**"Get married in a week or it's over." Vash can hardly comprehend the order from his boss. He's always loved Lili, but does he love her THAT way? Well if he doesn't, or she doesn't, Vash will be forced to evict her from Switzerland. He has seven days to marry Liechtenstein or get rid of her.)**

Chapter 1: New Kinds of Feelings

Switzerland sighed as he pushed the shopping cart through the ghostly aisles. It was a late night and no one was at the supermarket, it seemed; this was his sixth night in a row doing this. Lichtenstein had wondered why he had been so exhausted in the mornings lately. The trouble was, he couldn't find the perfect gift for her.

She was always making him gifts, and he loved them, no matter how ridiculous they were, and she always put her heart and soul into them; he wanted to do the same for her, but he couldn't find anything appropriate. The truth was, he was desperate now because tomorrow was her birthday, and he still couldn't find anything for her.

He tried to walk in upright, alert form, but he was very tired and swayed through the aisle, eyes drooping. Suddenly he felt his cart stop abruptly and heard an annoyed, "Hey, watch it!"

Vash opened his eyes, startled. There, on the floor, where he had been knocked over, sat Austria. Switzerland's eyebrows furled.

"What are you doing here?-!" demanded Switzerland. Austria puffed indignantly.

"You knock me over and then say that? I'm buying medicine for Hungary, she's sick."

Switzerland softened. "Oh." He remembered that Hungary had bought Lili a gift for her thirteenth birthday...a gift that changed everything. He tried not to show emotional weakness in front of Roderich. Switzerland hated being emotional like this; he'd never been emotional before. All he'd really cared about for ages was keeping the surrounding, quarreling Euro trash off his land, and making good investments. Lili had brought a new sort of emotion in his life; he cared about her considerably and became very defensive of her. She was indeed the little sister he never had; he enjoyed watching her grow, her funny antics, and her unwavering affection for him, though he really hadn't done all that much. He'd taken her in; what else could he do? Leave her there to die? And she was so eternally grateful just for that. Such a perfect little sister.

But now a new kind of emotion was surfacing in him; and it had all began with Hungary's birthday gift.

"What does she have?" asked Switzerland, his mind somewhere else.

"Cold."

"Hm. Give her my regards," he muttered, and continued to walk down the grocery aisle. Austria stood up and brushed himself off.

"Hey, what are you doing at this hour anyway?" asked Austria, adjusting his glasses.

"It's none of your business."

"Buying a gift for Lichtenstein?"

Vash stiffened. "How the hell do you know that its her birthday? Are you stalking her?" he said, turning around and growing defensive. Austria didn't even flinch.

"I just remember her coming down and thanking Elizaveta for a birthday gift about this time of year, a few years ago. And she does live with you, though God knows how she stands it."

Switzerland turned away. "You did once too."

Austria rolled his eyes. The military man obviously knew nothing about women, and probably had no clue what to buy little Lichtenstein. She wasn't so little anymore, right? She'd be wanting more than candy and ribbons.

Switzerland thought for a moment. Austria...he was so different than Lili! Vash had always taken care of Austria too, but they were more like 'friends,' when they had been together than family. Maybe it was because they had been boys; maybe it was because they were the same age. Either way, he never had really loved (in a familial way of course) Austria, though he really cared about him once, long ago, in a galaxy far far away... but realized now that he really truly, deeply loved Lichtenstein. In a brotherly way at least, if not in another form.

"How old is she this year, thirteen?" asked Austria.

"She's fifteen, you nosy bastard."

"And you are what? Twenty One?"

"Twenty. What do you even care?"

Austria chuckled. Only five years apart...he sensed trouble in the future. He remembered that Elizaveta had lived in his house many years before they were married, and that they were four years apart...

"Do you know what you're getting her?"

Switzerland wanted to scream in irritation, but thought for a moment. Roderich had more experience than him at this sort of thing...He'd been living with Hungary forever, so he had to have bought her gifts before. Lili was becoming a woman, he knew...he wasn't sure whether he was sad about that or not...and she probably needed a better gift than a new hair ribbon.

"...no, not really, actually. I'm kind of unsure what she would want."

Austria clapped a hand on Vash's shoulder, which made him frown in irritation.

"Come along, stupid, I'll show you what a woman likes for a birthday gift."

"Bastard, I don't need your help!" he said, annoyed by the aristocrat's rudeness.

Austria chuckled.

"You forget Lili was once mine," said Austria. Something the equivalent of a low growl came from Vash's throat. She was his, no one else's, especially not that Austrian bastard's!

"She was never yours," he said menacingly.

"Don't get all defensive now... You forget that she was once an Austrian princess. Of course she was only two or three at the time..."

_"Then you abandoned her! And left her to die in the rain!"_ thought Switzerland, gritting his teeth.

"...But no matter," continued Austria, "...come along, I'll find you a good gift."

"I don't need your help," Vash repeated in a low tone.

He followed Roderich anyway.

...

* * *

><p>Lichtenstein turned over in bed and sighed when she heard the door open downstairs. He was home. Why was he always out so late? She hoped nothing was wrong.<p>

Lili felt very uncomfortable; she kept having strange feelings, and was thinking of old memories.

It had all started the day she turned thirteen...

_She had always loved her big brother, unconditionally. He gave her everything, and was always extremely cheap except for when it came to her. She knew saving money was of paramount importance to him, yet he kept sustaining her, and spending time with her, though he was busy. She'd always adored him, always wanted to be as much like him as she could._

_And then..._

_She remembered that hazy morning. She'd gone out to dinner with brother, and he'd actually taken her somewhere quite nice, because the following day was her birthday. In the morning, she'd overslept because they'd stayed up so late._

_That was the first time it ever happened; that strange sensation all over her body that felt like nervousness, but...pleasant nervousness._

_She'd heard brother's voice and been woken up by his face. For the first time, she noticed how handsome brother was._

_She cherished his gift that year with so much happiness._

_But then there had been the gift from Ms. Hungary..._

_It had come in a little bag, with a bow on top. It was a stick of eyeliner, a mascara roller, a tiny foursquare of eyeshadow with a brush, and a pot of rouge. She recalled thinking to herself that she didn't really like makeup that much and wondered how she'd bring herself to use it._

_That year her feelings toward brother changed. She hated it at first, this sensation she got every time she saw him, the tingling all over her body, the jumpiness of her heart...she found herself staring at him for long periods of time, just adoring his face, and he'd give her a funny look. But after a while she embraced it, and found herself falling down a slippery slope very quickly._

_Why had she called him "bruder," to begin with? Well, Lichtenstein decided after their first month of living together, that she loved Mr. Switzerland. She pondered what to call her beloved; and the perfect word of endearment, the way she felt she loved him, was brother. The first time she used the word, Switzerland had paused for a second, then smiled, and taken her hand in his. She'd felt so happy._

_But during her first year as a teenager, she longed to call him something else; however, she could not think what exactly she should call him, or how to break her old habit of saying "bruder." She noticed how none of the boys ever talked to her, and how her hair was a little too short. She liked that it looked like his, but she remembered that he thought it made her look like a little boy. She remembered constantly biting her lip in anxiety...and she remembered staring at her chest sadly. It was so small, she realized...she was so plain, so boring! She wanted Vash to say she was beautiful, but she never once heard it from his lips. How many nights she had spent crying all alone in her room; Switzerland had even found her crying once and had been very concerned- but she couldn't tell him what was wrong, and he'd left her room confused. She didn't even know entirely what was wrong._

_Halfway through the year she became aware of the little gift bag from Ms. Hungary. The makeup. She ravaged her room to find it, and spent nearly an hour putting it on, so that she wasn't wearing too much and that it looked natural, but enough that she actually looked like a woman. She wanted to be a woman in his eyes now, not just a troublesome little girl!_

_She was glad Ms. Hungary had such good taste; she'd picked perfect colors for Lili, colors that brought out her green eyes and blonde hair; they weren't too dark and made Lichtenstein truly look like a princess. A grown up princess._

_She remembered flying around the house for the rest of the day, humming and singing, waiting for Vash to come home...he'd finally call her beautiful, he'd finally see she was growing up._

_She'd started calling him Vash in her head lately. He'd never told her his name; she'd just seen it printed on the mail and such. Vash. What a nice name he had..._

_As she looked in the mirror one final time, she decided it was true. She'd come to terms with her strange feelings._

_He had taken care of her, raised her, trained her and protected her. Yes...she'd realized since their first month of living together that she loved him; but now she realized that she loved him in a new sort of way, and not as a brother._

_They never had to be siblings, she realized. Ms. Hungary and Mr. Austria lived together, and they certainly weren't siblings. It was because she'd called him brother that they were like this; maybe...maybe if she started looking more grown up, and stopped calling him that, he wouldn't think of her that way._

_Her heart had jumped with excitement when she heard the lock unclick and Vash walk through the door. He hung up his coat and_ _Lichtenstein went to collect the groceries he'd bought and put them away._

Lili winced, closed her eyes tight, and scrunched up the covers as she recalled the painful memory.

_"Hello, big bruder," she'd said._

_"Hello, Lichtenstein. I was thinking that if you wanted to we could have a picnic later, since I have this afternoon-" he broke his sentence off._

_She remembered those ten seconds he'd stood speechless, dropping what was in his hands and staring at her._

_"He likes it!" she thought with glee. "He thinks I'm beautiful!"_

_But he kept staring, speechless, and those ten seconds began to feel like ten hours. His expression never wavered and suddenly Lili was very nervous. Her heart plummeted when he finally drew his eyebrows in a line. He looked very angry._

_"Lichtenstein, what were you thinking!" he shouted at her. Her mouth dropped in surprise._

_"Do...do you like it?" she asked feebly. He grabbed her chin and turned it upward so that he was looking directly in her face. She'd never seen him so angry and she felt hot tears bubbling up._

_"Makeup? Lichtenstein, no! Absolutely not!" he shouted. "It...it's so..." he stumbled, looking unsure of himself..."it's so wrong on you! Take it off right now!"_

_She exploded into tears and began to sob. No, no! It was all ruined now, he hated it! Switzerland stepped back in shock; apart from the day they met, when she was half dead in the street, he'd never seen Lili cry like this. He'd caught her once in her room, but that was it. She was always so sweet, so kind; but now she bawled openly in front of him._

_She remembered him putting a hand to his mouth and saying he was sorry, but she ran away and hid._

_He'd come to her room two days later and sat on her bed. She hadn't left since._

_He'd said softly, "Lili..."_

_That had caused her to jump a little. He never called her Lili. Always Lichtenstein._

_"I don't know what got into me, Lili. I think...I think you just surprised me. You looked so grown up...it sort of scared me. You've always been my little sister," he began. Lili bit her lip._

_"But I was wrong," he said, swallowing as if it was painful. "You-you're growing up. You're a teenager now. I need to accept that...it just was a shock, I'm sorry."_

_Lili sat up and smiled a little._

_"Don't worry big bruder." She noticed that he stiffened at the word. That was odd; he'd never done that before._

_"I won't wear it ever again," she said softly. Vash shook his head._

_"No, Lichtenstein...Lili..." her heart jumped at her own name. He was so kind, big brother! Thinking of her like this..._

_"I want you to wear it. You look so pretty when you do." Her heart raced. Yes! This was what she had wanted. He stuttered awkwardly._

_"You know...Lili, I think you're very pretty without it too. Just do what makes you happy, okay?" She was crying again, but now out of happiness._

_"Thank you big bruder!" she cried, and nearly tackled him with a hug. She remembered him wrapping his arms around her, firm and strong, and her heart beating very quickly._

Now Lichtenstein was up late again, thinking about him. Tomorrow she'd be fifteen; Vash had turned twenty last month. She noticed that their conversations were much more in depth now that she was older; they were equalling each other on an intellectual level, very very slowly. She remembered Mr. Austria saying Ms. Hungary had fallen in love with him when she was twenty and he was sixteen...it could be done. But Vash...he never acted like that towards her. Was it too late? Could nothing be done? Would he eternally think of her as a sister?

And she still didn't call him Vash. She remembered that one dinner...

_Switzerland had said, "Lili, you know that you don't have to call me that always, right?"_

_He'd looked very nervous. She didn't say anything and he continued._

_"You're not a little girl anymore...we're becoming more, I don't know...friends, I suppose. You can call me..." here she could see his mouth form the letter V, trying to say "Vash," but couldn't bring himself to do it. Then noticed something else. A crimson. Switzerland turned entirely pink, his whole face flushed. She didn't know what that was all about, but simply tried to save him. He was obviously embarrassed._

_"Switzerland?" she tried. The word sounded foreign in her mouth. She didn't like that name...that was what everyone called him. His next sentence made her heart beat._

_"No...no, Switzerland is too formal. Lili..." here he smiled one of his failure smiles, the kind he made when be was trying to smile but was inwardly cowering. "...You're very special to me..." here her heart jumped, "Switzerland is...is...too" he stuttered._

_Beside herself in joy, she interrupted, "Switzy." With her accent, it sounded like "Svitzhy." He had leaned back in relief, and she in content._

_She was special to him! She was special to him!_

...

* * *

><p>Little did Lichtenstein know, Switzerland had not been scared only by her new look, but by the feeling that pulsated through him. His first thought had been, "Why is there a beautiful woman in my house? On my property?-! Where's my shotgun?"<p>

Oh, Switzerland.

But then he'd realized it was her...little Lichtenstein! His...sister?

He was so overwhelmed by the sensation that he'd snapped. Flat out yelled at her. Thinking about it later, he realized there was no reason she shouldn't wear it, except that it had startled him. He remembered seeing her look at her fellow piers in sadness, groping her chest as if something were there, looking at her hair sadly in the mirror. And all because she wanted to look like him...it was longer now, but he knew she didn't like her hair, or the way she looked. Maybe this makeup was really important to her; he couldn't deny her of it.

He hated this feeling, hated it so, and wanted it to go away.

But it didn't. Lili never really wore makeup again, which puzzled him. Why had she cried when he wouldn't let her wear it, and then not wear it? How should he know...silly girl. He didn't know it was because he'd said she was pretty without it, so she didn't care anymore...

But from that day onward, even without the makeup, he still thought she was beautiful, and kept feeling like this around her. It pleasured him beyond belief to buy her little gifts or even useless flowers, despite how much money he was wasting. He even started to dream of her. And then there was that "bruder," business. He couldn't stand it. He really felt that she was no longer his sister, but a girl, a beautiful girl, living in his home. He knew she loved him unconditionally, but...her calling him, "bruder," was just annoying.

So he proposed a new name that one night. But when he tried to say it, tried to say, "Vash," he just couldn't do it.

Nobody had ever called him that except his mother, and he hadn't seen her in ages. He only had two or three memories of her. Even Austria never called him Vash.

The name was so personal, so tender...he'd pictured Lili walking around that house, saying, "Vash! Your laundry is done!" or "Vash! Dinner is ready," like...like she was his wife. The thought of that made him choke up and freeze...all he could see was beautiful, petite Lili running towards him singing sweetly, "Vash, Vash, Vash, Vash..."

This thought made him turn bright red and he couldn't say anything, the V stuck on his lips but unable to escape. Inwardly he was mad at himself. "_This thought should disgust you, stop being a pervert!"_ he thought madly. "_She's your s...si...sis...sis..."_ He swallowed.

"_She's Lili..."_

It had become a source of guilty pleasure for him.

_He was becoming attracted to his own little Lichtenstein..._

Now THAT was bad.

Thankfully, she'd interrupted him with, "Switzy!" before he could panic any further. Anything but "big bruder."

The two countries sighed as they drifted into sleep that night on the eve of Lichtenstein's fifteenth birthday. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

...

* * *

><p>The news came down like a hammer on Vash's forehead.<p>

He'd been summoned into his boss' office quite early in the morning, before Lili was up.

"Have you looked at your accounts recently?" his boss asked. Switzerland felt like rolling his eyes. He was Switzerland. Of course he had been checking his accounts lately!

"Of course."

"You're spending too much."

"What are you talking about? We're still well in the black!"

"Yes, but you can never be too careful. You're wasting money unnecessarily, and even if you are still well off financially, we are Swiss! We don't spend money on things we don't need to!"

"What have I spent that I shouldn't?" demanded Switzerland. He'd bought a bouquet of flowers for Lili...maybe that was it...oh and he'd taken her out to dinner once two months ago...maybe that was it.

"You're spending too much money on Lichtenstein!" said the boss. Switzerland sighed. So that was it. Oh well, Lili would understand.

"Alright, I'll stop buying her flowers and taking her out to dinner-"

"Ha!" the boss interrupted. "You can buy her all the bouquets you want! I'm talking about war expenses here."

Switzerland appeared confused."You mean the money I spend protecting her?"

"Yes! Look at all the people we've sent over there! All the wasted money and wasted effort!"

Vash adopted an angry look. "What do you mean, 'wasted?'"

The boss just stared. "You need to let go of Lichtenstein."

"What?-!"

"You need to get rid of her! You spend too much time with her as it is anyway. She's growing up, that's what you told me last week, into a little woman, right? She can take care of herself. Besides, she is the richest country in the world...thanks to you of course. She'll be fine, let her go."

Switzerland was shocked. No, no! He couldn't let go of Lili...she was so fragile, so delicate...and...and he needed her around. He couldn't bear being all alone, not again.

"No! I can't let Lili go, don't be ridiculous-"

"Lili? We're calling her Lili now? Are we developing personal feelings for this little girl? Zwingli, what did I teach you? You can't become emotionally attached to any country; they'll only wind up backstabbing you-"

"Not Lili!" exclaimed Switzerland, jumping out of his chair. "Lili would never!"

The boss rolled his eyes. "That makes it official then. I knew it was a mistake letting you keep her to begin with; you've become attached to her. You must get rid of Lichtenstein by the end of the week, and that's an order."

It was as if the judge had pounded his gavel on the table and given him his sentence. Those words were so cruel, so final...Switzerland could not even think of anything to say. He stood there is shock for nearly a minute, mouth wide open. The boss continued to look through his paperwork. After a while he gave a casual look up.

"Zwingli...you can go now."

"But...but..."

"No if ands or buts! You're acting like a child, Zwingli!"

"Why can't we use her resources?-!" Switzerland gushed, desperately looking for some reason to keep her. "She's the richest country in the world, we could use her financially!" he tried. The boss raised an eyebrow.

"You know we can't do that."

"Why not?" he asked.

"You'd have to extort the money from her, and something tells me you won't do that. The only way we can use Lichtenstein's treasury is if you two were... unified."

Switzerland's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach.

"U-unified?"

"Married. And you don't want to do that, do you? Isn't she like your little sister to you or something?"

Switzerland began to pace slowly. "Well..."

Marriage. Was that really the only way out?

"Can we really not just keep her? She doesn't rack up very high expenses, I only really have to protect Prussia from molesting her-"

"No."

Switzerland bit his lip. He couldn't let her go! She'd be helpless, Prussia would surely take advantage...France was on the prowl...

The thought of that made his face contort in anger. No. He had to keep her, he wouldn't let something like that happen.

But...marriage...marriage?

"Either way," sighed the boss," you have till the end of the week. Either you get engaged or kick her out. Your choice."

"But-"

"Get out Zwingli, before I change my mind!"

Seven Days. He had seven days to propose to little Lichtenstein or let her become a toy for Prussia.

**(OHHOHHHOHHO! Poor Vash. This ought to be interesting. PLEASE REVIEW. Flames welcome. There will probably be a total of nine to eleven chapters: seven more for each day of the week, and a few chapters for some after plot and conclusion. Enjoy, y'all. P.S I've already written the next few chapters, so you can expect an update in three to four days.)**


	2. The Plan

**Day 1: The Plan**

**(AN: Thanks for the support, all! Thanks to Hello My Name is Randomness, Kreszentenia ,Striped-Jeans ,Stormjade, Discet and cloudsandsilversfor their wonderful reviews! Also thanks to 47kaw2, Audrey0, DaughterofDemeter123, JerichosPhantom, Striped-Jeans, Syphira, and Sympliciti for adding this story to their favorites. All those who added me to their alerts, thanks too!**

**All right, enjoy the next chappie!)**

Switzerland was shaking as he left the office and walked back to the house.

Marriage. Getting rid of Lichtenstein. Marriage. Getting rid of Lichtenstein. These were his only two options.

"This is some crazy, terrible dream," he muttered to himself, but deep in his heart he knew that this was reality. Crap. Suddenly he began to foster a hate for his boss almost as deep as his hate for Austria.

How could anybody do something like this in seven days?-! He'd have to court Lili and propose to her in a week? He needed a year, at least, to do something like that. That is...

If Lili wanted to stay with him.

Of course she did! She was always saying how much she loved him...although that was only as a sister, but she said it a lot. Surely she wanted to stay with him.

But would she _marry_ him?

And then there was the question of whether he himself loved her in that way. He hadn't loved her at first, but after a year or so, he loved her as much as a person could; though as a sibling. Could he love her like that?

He continued to ponder this as he opened the door and walked into the house. As he hung up his coat, he hoped he hadn't waked her, and continued to think. It didn't matter, right? It didn't matter if he loved her as a wife, he loved her enough that he had to protect her from the surrounding Euro trash, especially Prussia. Or what if Austria wanted her back? He shuddered at the thought. Even the benevolence of Ms. Hungary could not make him comfortable with the thought of Lili living in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

"Good morning, Switzy," said Lili, who had suddenly appeared from nowhere.

"Ah!" Vash cried out, surprised. He hadn't noticed her at all.

Well, he hadn't waked her; she was already fully dressed, so she must have been waiting for him. She would do that. Silly girl.

She appeared worried. "Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry."

He shook his head and composed himself. "Ah...Ah...no. No, you didn't do anything, I was just startled, that's all."

"Oh. I'm sorry, Switzy," she said, looking at the floor.

"Don't be," he said, trying to smile. "Happy birthday, Lichtenstein."

"Thank you," she said, embracing him for a hug. Thank goodness she'd stopped calling him, "bruder," at least.

He sighed and tried to enjoy the hug. He'd always enjoyed her hugs, especially as of late; she was so petite, and it felt nice to hug little Lichtenstein.

"Hug..." he thought. He suddenly remembered being forced to Austria's house once because his boss had business with Hungary. Hungary in turn, had had to wait for Austria to come home to ask his advice. He'd been sitting on her couch, drinking tea, when he heard him come through the door. She'd come up to hug him...and their conversation...

_"I'm home, Elizaveta."_

_ "Hello sweetheart. How was work?"_

He closed his eyes for a second.

_ "I'm home, Lili."_

_ "Hello, sweetheart, how was work?"_

"Eh!" he muttered and closed his eyes very tightly. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Lichtenstein felt him stiffen and cringe. What had she done?

"Big bruder!" she blurted out of force of habit.

"Damn it," they both thought, annoyed at the name. She hadn't meant to say that.

"Are you okay? What did I do?" she asked, getting more and more concerned.

"Huh? Oh, nothing! I'm...I just have a lot on my mind, that's all...heh...heh..."

She looked almost sad. "Are you sure? If something's wrong, you can tell me...I'll listen, you know that."

He took a sharp breath. Tell her everything...

True, Lili was always very considerate of when he had a problem at work, and she was a great listener.

Maybe he could just explain the whole thing to her and she'd be okay with it. He hesitated, then remembered Lili was a romantic at heart. She always cried during those stupid romance movies. He wanted her to marry her true love...and he didn't know if that was him or not. Maybe she was growing up and it was time to let her go. Was he even okay with her marrying someone else? Did what he think even matter? Gah, he'd explain it to her later! At dinner...or something...maybe tomorrow, since today was her birthday.

"Damn it, I only have seven days to do this!" he thought with annoyance. "If I wait, I'll waste a whole day!"

He decided that he would think about it tonight and plan his strategy if he was going to try and win her; but most likely he'd just tell her everything and see what happened.

"Switzy?" asked Lili. He'd been lost in thought for nearly thirty seconds now.

"Hm? Oh...I'll tell you everything later, I promise," he said. That was true. He'd tell Lili the truth in the end, even if it meant losing her hand in marriage, he'd tell her his boss had ordered him to marry her; it would be deceptive otherwise. When he would tell her? He wasn't sure yet. But before the wedding.

_"You're getting ahead of yourself, Vash_," thought Switzerland, closing his eyes again.

_"You have no idea if she even likes you."_

"Let's just...let's just enjoy your birthday for today, okay? I'll talk about it later."

He put on one of his failure smiles, and his 'sister,' noticed.

"O-okay," said Lichtenstein, quite unsure of herself.

"Come on. What would you like for breakfast?" he asked.

"I already made you breakfast, Switzy."

He sighed. That girl was so considerate of him that she woke up early to wait for him when he left and had even cooked him breakfast. On her birthday.

"Silly girl."

She knew when he said that that it was his term of affection for her. She hoped that he would soon adopt a new term for her than "silly girl," though.

The previous night she'd decided it was time; she was going to see if Vash could feel anything for her besides her being his 'sister.'

She realized that she said, "I love you so much..." (normally with a "big bruder," trailing it) to Switzerland all the time. But she also realized that though he normally smiled or just shook his head at the gesture, he never said, "I love you too." Even as a brother.

It had really hurt to think about, but she realized that maybe Switzerland didn't love her at all.

She knew he cared about her; but she also remembered Vash telling her stories about his time with Mr. Austria, and how he had cared for him once but grown to hate him.

She had officially decided, as a young woman, that if Switzerland didn't love her...

It was time to go. All girls leave the house someday, right? He'd taught her how to do paperwork; she could do it, she could manage her country...probably. She'd be fine. He'd taught her everything she needed to know. Now she was even capable of shooting a gun, in case Prussia got a little too close. Or France. Or any of them.

She'd planned it out very carefully; she couldn't bear to say goodbye to her brother...no. He wasn't her brother anymore. She couldn't bear to say goodbye to...to...the one she loved. She couldn't do it. So she had a notebook of paper ready for writing a note. If she found that he didn't love her, she would simply explain in her neat handwriting that she believed it was time for her to go into her own affairs, so that she'd stop being a burden on him, and that she was so grateful for what he'd done for her, and...that she loved him. Yes, she would confess. She'd tell him she loved him, and that she couldn't stand living in the same house with him knowing that he didn't love her; and that she would heal her broken heart and look for love elsewhere, as an independent country, though she would always be in love with him, the one who saved her life and had done so much for her.

She tried not to think about it, because it made her want to cry. How could she leave big brother? After all this time? But she had to. She had to find true love and she had to stop being a burden on him, if he didn't feel the way she did.

Her suitcase was packed.

Her finances were tidy in case she needed quick departure.

Lili sighed.

_"There's no need to be so worried,"_ she thought. "_I don't know if Switzy...if Vash...loves me yet. It could take me a year, or even two to find out!"_

At this pleasant thought she took his hand in hers and leaned on his shoulder. This action was common for her, so she didn't expect him to react extraordinarily.

"I love you, Switzy," she said contently. That was normal for her too.

To her surprise he stopped and was rigid. She felt like crying all of a sudden; why was he acting so strange lately?-! She noticed that he had been acting weird every time she showed signs of affection, even sisterly affection.

Getting stiff when she touched him. Choking when she said something about how she loved him. Turning red like he was embarrassed when she gave him gifts. And worst of all...being awkward around her and avoiding her even.

It was for these reasons that she had decided to find out the truth...and possibly leave. She didn't want to be a burden on Vash.

Discouraged by the tense feeling in his body, she nearly let go of his arm when suddenly he relaxed a little and returned her grip on his hand.

His next statement shocked her.

"I love you too, Lichtenstein."

She almost tripped. He loved her? He loved her! Could he really mean it?

She stopped and gasped a little too noticeably.

Her 'brother' turned to face her when she did so. She saw that his face was entirely pink again and that he sort of looked like he wanted to die. That wasn't good...was he faking it or something?

"What's the matter, Lichtenstein?" he said in a raspy tone, very stiff. She noticed that his hand was clammy and starting to sweat.

"Do...do you really mean that?" she asked softly.

"Mean what?" he asked, putting on a smile so fake it was creepy. He reminded her of Belarus.

"That you love me. You're not just saying that?" she asked. Her voice came out a little bold and she instantly regretted her words. She was always so timid and never challenged anything he said; but she was just so anxious to know the answer to that question that it came out rather forceful.

Switzerland looked even more anxious at first, then seemed to be confused when he saw her worried expression.

He paused for a moment then said quietly,

"Lili, what is this? You never knew that? Of course I love you."

Switzerland was genuinely surprised. He didn't know if he loved her that way, but he'd loved her as family for a very long time. He was surprised she didn't realize that.

Then he thought of all the times he appeared cold...he never showed affection towards her like she did to him, and he realized that this was the first time he'd ever said he loved her back.

"I'm not a burden on you? Like Mr. Austria?-!" she blurted before she could think. Suddenly she was crying and she hugged Vash tightly. "You aren't annoyed by me, you want me to stay here, you really do love me?-! I...I can leave if you don't want me here!" she cried out all at once, amazed at her lack of control. It gushed out of her with a burst of tears; and she clutched the other nation tightly with vehement sobs.

Now Vash was completely shocked.

"_This is a good thing_," he tried to think._ "Apparently she cares if I love her or not,"_ he thought, gritting his teeth. _"But what if it's her normal sisterly love? Then that means she really needs me and kicking her out will be harder!"_

But what was all this business about her leaving? Was he really that unclear about how much he cared for her?

"Lili, don't lower yourself to Austria's level! Of course I love you, what kind of question is that? You think after all we've been through that I still couldn't love you? What made you even think of such a thing?"

His tone was scolding but inside he was actually rather sad. He'd done a lot for her...how could she think he didn't love her?

Lili sniffled. "You never say you love me. You give up so much for me...your boss hates me...I...I was worried you might think I'm annoying and want me to go," she confessed. Her tone was soft now and mellow, her tears silent.

Switzerland felt very guilty all of a sudden. This was all his fault, for being so stern and serious all the time. He'd forgotten children need love when they are being raised; she couldn't have been more then nine when he first saw her. He had raised Lichtenstein and never even told her he loved her.

"Lili..." he said, clutching her tiny body and bringing her close to him again.

She was still sad and unsure, but he embraced her warmly this time, not stiffly. It had been ages since he'd given her a not-awkward hug. Then he took her off guard.

He kissed her on the cheek.

And not a quick peck either. A good, five second kiss.

She felt like her legs had turned to jelly and her arms could barely hold themselves up.

A kiss. Never in all their years had Switzy given her a kiss.

He whispered in her ear, with a particular sadness that she couldn't detect, "I want you to stay in this house as long as you are happy. And when the day comes for you to leave...if you ever want to leave, that is...I will be very, very sad."

He was very sad already. He wasn't lying. He wanted Lili to stay with him as long as she could, but if she didn't love him in that sort of way...she'd have to go very prematurely.

But Lichtenstein did not even notice. Her heart was through the roof, her joy radiating, beaming through her face like the sun.

"Oh...oh thank you, Switzy! Thank you!" she said sweetly. She felt like dancing suddenly.

She wanted to run upstairs and shred that notebook; she wanted to tear up the suitcase and spread her clothes all over the floor. He loved her! He wanted her to stay! She still didn't know if he loved her the way she did, but there was only one way to find out, right? It didn't matter. He loved her. He wanted her to stay.

She silently thought that she never wanted to wash the cheek he kissed ever again. She took his hand and walked him into the kitchen, humming as she served breakfast. He had a small, but genuine smile on his face now.

"You know you really didn't have to, Lili," he said.

She just smiled and laughed. "I love making you breakfast. It makes you happy!"

If he's happy, then I am happy, she thought cheerfully.

He realized that he had actually just said he loved her and given her a kiss: and it had all come naturally. Did that mean he loved her? He couldn't tell. That could still be brotherly love, right? It was a whole different affair than kissing her lips...

He looked with guilt at her lips for a moment. He felt like a naughty, curious, schoolboy...Small and pink...so nice...

"Ehp!" he said painfully, closing his eyes and balling his fists. His small smile vanished.

_"Why do you keep having stupid thoughts like this?-!"_ he cringed, wanting to face-palm himself. "_I'm nervous. Maybe that means I'm in love? How the hell am I supposed to understand this stuff, I'm a cheap banker who loves chocolate and saving money!_" he grumbled inwardly.

Chocolate.

That reminded him...

"Lili, would you like your birthday gift?"

He remembered that bastard Austria's surprisingly good advice. Suddenly Roderich's words, which hadn't been extraordinary last night, had a biting edge.

"_The girl obviously loves you a great deal," he had said. Awkward now... "...so make her something You."_

_"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Vash had muttered._

_"It means make her chocolate. It's you, and it's very good, and it's very expensive. And if you have any left over, give it to me."_

_"Never in your life!"_

Austria was right though. He'd stopped making chocolate for a while; but Swiss chocolates were the best in all the world. He'd forgotten how much Lili loved them.

"_The best things don't come from a store. They have love put into them," Austria had said in a tone mocking his wife. She said that a lot._

_"Sentimental idiot," said Vash._

"You're welcome."

So that night he'd gone home and made Lichtenstein a box of his famous truffles.

Lichtenstein put down his breakfast, her eyes lit in excitement.

"Oh, yes! If you don't mind..."

She always cherished his gifts.

He smiled fondly again and handed her the wrapped box. She opened it with care and gave a squeal of delight.

"Oh! Swiss chocolates!"

Her face radiated pure joy. Vash smiled very contently now; he remembered that this was why he had come to love her. The girl absolutely adored him and was so appreciative of everything he did. He loved buying her trinkets and treats, then watching her face light up at each gift. It didn't matter that it costed him money, despite his utter stinginess.

"Made them myself," he said proudly.

"You did? For me? Oh thank you, Switzy!"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and muttered, "Your the best b-"

Suddenly she caught herself. She'd almost said he was the best big brother ever. "Not today!" she thought defiantly. "Things are going to change!"

She couldn't think of an appropriate word to replace it though, so she stumbled, "b-man ever."

Switzerland's eyes shot open. Best man? Like he was her boyfriend? He felt the blood rushing to his face. Or worse...like the best man at a wedding? Suddenly he pictured little Lili in a bridal dress...all the nations there to watch...

"AH!" he yelped, jumping up suddenly. Him and his stupid imagination! And worse, him and his stupid reactions to his stupid imagination!

This time jumping up in repulsion at his thoughts had very negative effects. Lili, who was embracing him at the time, was wedged into the table, and he bumped into her...and her chest.

?

She had breasts?

He'd never really paid attention before...crap. Before his imagination could go anywhere else (thankfully) she yelped.

Vash put a hand to his mouth.

"Lichtenstein, I'm sorry! When you leaned over, the, uh...chair leaned back and I was worried it would fall over backwards. That's why I jumped up...heh..." he coughed. This compulsive lying had to stop.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" he asked quickly. Her smile returned.

"No! Thank you for the gift..." she swallowed. He was so close, so near...she put her arms around his neck again and hugged him. It was now or never; the very brave experiment.

"...thank you for the gift...Vash."

His heart rate was already elevated so high he was worried about a heart attack by this point.

Did-did she just call him Vash?

"Control!" he thought instantly, and said "You're welcome," as fast as he could, then let her go before he could react in a bad way.

His cheeks were entirely red at this point. Lili took careful note of this; maybe that meant something? He was being so sweet...nothing could deflate her mood at the moment.

He sat in a sort of dumb stupor while she got milk from the fridge.

Vash.

Vash.

Vash.

Like...like she was his wife. Suddenly something else occurred to him. Even if she stayed with him, and they got married...things would change between them.

They'd have to have one room...all her clothes would be in his closet.

Suddenly the worst of all thoughts fell on his head.

Bed.

Lili in bed...

He choked on his pancake and nearly suffocated to death.

How could he do that?-! He could never violate her, that was so wrong, how could he even sleep in the same room with her, never mind the same bed, in a week and be okay with it?-!

It's not like he could just say, "Let's get married but have separate bedrooms."

That would make her think he didn't love her. Oh hell...this was hell!

Lili, however, who was on cloud nine, finally brought him his drink, but didn't quite yet put in on the table. She stalled a moment and said, "I made you eggs the way you like them."

He tried to resume a sense of normalcy, but it wasn't happening. He was too worked up to calm down now.

He simply said, "Thanks. You're always so good to me."

Lichtenstein beamed. Then she watched him cut his meal and decided that it was now or never.

She thought silently, "I'm going to kick butt once in my lifetime."

It was a very unusual thought for the innocent little Lichtenstein, but love makes us all go crazy.

She carefully put the milk down on the far side of his plate, leaning considerably, which made their faces level. Then, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she kissed him on the cheek. Just a peck, very quickly; she tried to make it casual. Then she continued humming hurriedly and rushed about the kitchen.

He froze. Was she TRYING to make him die of choking?-!

Her lips...so soft...

Then Switzerland's brain short circuited, and he wasn't capable of thought any longer for the next hour.

The shock of all these events combined had simply been too great.

And Lichtenstein could not have been happier.

**(Thus ends part one of day one. I'm gonna make a part two cause otherwise this chappie would've been wayyyy too long. Hope y'all like it. Is it cheesy? It is too OOC? Please tell me! And most importantly...REVIEW! Thanks.)**


	3. A hairbrush

**Chapter 3: Day 1, part 2**

**(I've changed my mind. This isn't going to be one  
>chapter for each day. I actually have made this bigger than cute fluff (though<br>there still is a lot of that!); there are going to be some diabolical plans and  
>action and stuff. Enjoy! Sorry that this chapter is so long...and I copied it from email so the format may be weird<strong>

**REVIEWS: Thanks to imnotobsessedwithanime ,Discet,  
>roughdiamond5 ,Cifer10 ,Striped-Jeans<br>, and cloudsandsilvers for their wonderful reviews, as well as anyone I missed and all the people who favorited this story and **

**put it on alerts. **

**Cifer: Can you believe I went to Scripps National Spelling Bee? DX I've lost a lot since my BEE days...and apparently "Lichtenstein," was a person. That's why it **

**showed up in spellcheck. I may have spelled it wrong in this chapter too bc I wrote it a long time ago...sigh. Whatever.**

**Discet: Thanks for the feedback, that helped me quite a bit. )**

This was bad.

Switzerland sighed as he organized the final  
>paperwork he'd had to complete on his desk, and began to undress for the night.<br>He put on those ridiculous pink pajamas and thought about the events of the  
>day.<p>

What a disaster.

He'd asked Lili if she wanted to go on a picnic for  
>her special day, but then it started raining. So instead they'd watched a movie<br>she'd been wanting to see for a while and had borrowed from Italy.

He gulped as he remembered the awful  
>occurrence.<p>

_"What is this movie about?" he asked  
>Lichtenstein.<em>

_"It's vonderful, Vash, Ei've bin vaiting to shee  
>it," she said in her peculiar Liechtensteinian accent.<em>

_She popped in in the DVD player._

_"I don't want to spoil it for you," she said,  
>curling up next to him and putting a blanket over them, "but-" here she munched<br>her popcorn-"I think it's about a man who is forced to ask a girl to marry him,  
>because he has no choice."<em>

_"EHP!" he cried out and sent popcorn flying  
>everywhere.<em>

_"Switzy?" she asked, startled. He was certainly  
>jumpy today...whatever his boss had said to him must have really stressed him<br>out._

_"Heh...heh...uh...say, I think the rain is  
>clearing up!"<em>

_He looked out the window, and at that precise  
>moment thunder cued and the rain increased. He shook his head.<em>

_"...not. Um, start the movie...eh... Awkward  
>moment."<em>

_"Alright..." she said, still quite confused, and  
>pressed play.<em>

_That had been the worst two hours of his life.  
>The story was a little different; this main character, Arthur, had to appease<br>his psychotic mother who was going to cheat him of his very large inheritance if  
>he didn't get married within the month. Hastily he began to court his friend and<br>tried to win her over. But by the end he realized he truly loved her and really  
>did want to marry her; he didn't care about the money any more. He then told her<br>the truth._

_When the credits rolled Switzerland stood up and  
>yelled at the TV. <em>

_"Hey, that's not fair!" he cried in  
>protest.<em>

_"What do you mean?" asked Lili, raising an  
>eyebrow. Switzy didn't normally didn't react to these romance movies. In fact,<br>he usually didn't react to movies at all._

_"He told her the truth and she walked away!" he  
>said in outrage.<em>

_"Of course," said Lili. "He used  
>her."<em>

_"But he didn't care in the end!" tried Vash. "He  
>decided he really did love her!"<em>

_Lichtenstein thought for a  
>moment. <em>

_"Yes...but I suppose I would have done the same  
>as her. He thought he loved her but did he really? If his mom hadn't said<br>anything, would he have ever loved her? And if he really loved her, why did he  
>not have a spring wedding like she wanted, instead of forcing her to marry him<br>so fast so he'd still get his money?"_

_Switzerland was taken aback by this. His head  
>spun with financial reasons for taking Arthur's course, but he saw her<br>point. _

_"I wouldn't want forced love," said  
>Lili.<em>

_No. Crap. She didn't want...well his love wasn't  
>forced, right? He'd always loved her...<em>

_But not like that. And he knew it. But he  
>couldn't just give up hope! Besides, he wasn't trying to use her for his own<br>selfish purposes, he was trying to save her. His head whirled with random  
>activity and he desperately tried to make sense of it all. <em>

_"Say...Lil...what if the situation was  
>different?" he asked softly.<em>

_"What?"_

_"What if...what if the story was different, and  
>his mother say...I don't know...threatened to take her away if he didn't marry<br>her, and throw her in the street or something? And he wanted to save  
>her?"<em>

_Lichtenstein frowned._

_"That's really weird, Switzy...how did you come  
>up with that?"<em>

_He groaned. "I don't know, just say he wasn't be  
>selfish...would you marry him then?"<em>

_She pondered this a moment. "I think...I think  
>I'd appreciate his effort, but decide I shouldn't marry him just because...it'd<br>still be forced love. But then again...if he cared enough about me to marry me,  
>just to save me from harm...not for a selfish cause or anything...then maybe he<br>really did love me. I don't know, really. It depends."_

_Perfect. A completely non definitive answer. Well  
>at least it wasn't a, 'no.'<em>

He sighed and lay in his bed. Sleep would be such a  
>relief.<p>

"No!" he said assertively. "You can't sleep until  
>you figure this out!"<p>

A million scattered ideas flew in and out of his  
>head, and he couldn't seem to formulate a plan. He sighed and rolled out of bed;<br>turning the lamp on, he grabbed a fountain pen Lili had bought him and a piece  
>of paper.<p>

"I'll treat this like accounting," he mumbled.  
>Accounting; something that was practical and could be understood. "I'll just<br>be...organized about it."

If there was one thing Vash could not stand, it was  
>chaos. Why else had he been a neutral country for so many years? This whole<br>marry-or-evict business was much too disruptive for his taste; he needed order  
>in his life.<p>

His thumb quivered as he wrote, "Marry," and  
>"Evict," on the paper.<p>

_"A flow chart might help,"_ he  
>thought.<p>

He put a box around both words.

He continued to write; "I love her," and "She loves  
>me," under the "Marry," box and circled them. <em>Simple<em>...he concentrated  
>deeply for a moment then wrote out a list.<p>

Step 1: Find out if Lili loves you. Find out if you  
>love Lili.<p>

Step 2: If so, court and marry. - further  
>process<p>

Step 3: If not, explain situation and hope for the  
>best<p>

He leaned back. There we go, it was simple right?  
>But...if they both loved each other, then he'd have to court and marry her in<br>seven days. That would be a lot more complicated. He wrote down scribbled ideas  
>and tried to make sense of it, things he knew came in a relationship but he had<br>no idea how to achieve. He could feel his face flush with each and every word,  
>and his handwriting got sloppy.<p>

Small signs of affectionRing?  
>Confession<p>

KissGifts

"AGH!" he yelled and half crumpled the paper. This  
>was ridiculous and so embarrassing! He was not meant for this! But he opened the<br>list again, gingerly, and looked at the first step. "Find out if Lili loves you.  
>Find out if you love Lili."<p>

He exhaled slowly. "Well, I can figure part of that  
>one out by myself, can't I?" he muttered. He blushed profusely and thought about<br>it long and hard. Could he live with Lichtenstein...in matrimony? Forever? Could  
>they share one lifetime like that?<p>

"Meh..." he muttered and wished he'd paid more  
>attention when Austria had courted Hungary.<p>

_"The problem is_," he realized sadly, "_I've  
>never really cared about much besides money. I don't understand things like<br>this. I guess...she's the first person I ever really cared  
>about."<em>

Well, there was Austria. But that was  
>different.<p>

"Why..." he mumbled slowly. "Why is it  
>different?"<p>

He'd cared for Austria: he'd cared for Lili, but  
>surely he loved Lili and not Austria! That was the difference, right? Could he<br>ever grow to hate Lili as he had with Roderich? There was no way.

He groaned in frustration. "If I can't even tell if  
>I'm in love with her or not, how do I know if <em>she's<em> in love with me or  
>not?"<p>

He rummaged under his bed and found Britain's  
>Christmas tribute to him from years back. An Oxford Dictionary.<p>

"Guy knows how to give sentimental gifts," he  
>muttered, as he turned the pages.<p>

love |ləv|

noun

**1 **an intense feeling of deep  
>affection<p>

Well that was true. He did feel affection for  
>her.<p>

a  
>deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone<p>

"Meep," he muttered, and quickly looked at the next  
>definition. He still could not become comfortable with the idea of even laying<br>with her in bed, never mind...

a  
>great interest and pleasure in something<p>

He was interested in her...right? And he got  
>pleasure out of buying her stuff...<p>

He shut the dictionary.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered to himself.  
>"<em>You know you can't classify love with a flow chart or a<br>dictionary."_

Then it occurred to him. The fact that he was  
>worrying about this so much...What if Austria had had to leave him or get<br>married, before they hated each other? He would've spent his remaining time with  
>Austria teaching him as best as he could how to defend himself; he would've<br>provisioned him well, sent him on his way, then monitored his progress to make  
>sure he was alright.<p>

But when it was Lichtenstein...He knew that she  
>could take care of herself. He knew he could still protect her from Prussia even<br>if they didn't live together, despite his boss' disapproval. In the end, he  
>realized that his worry for her well being was small compared to his heartache<br>at the thought of her leaving.

He'd enjoyed his solitude while it had lasted, but  
>now, come to think of it, he couldn't bear going back to it.<p>

What would the house be like in the mornings,  
>without the smell of breakfast and her cheerful smile? What would he do in his<br>free time instead of train her or play one of her games? Read? How could he bear  
>the silence of it all, the utter loneliness and desolation of the house? A life<br>without Lili...there would be no more smiles. No more laughs. No more lectures.  
>No more cute animal drawings. No more ridiculous gifts. No more poems of<br>gratitude. No more Lichtenstein.

He put his pen down on the desk and  
>sighed.<p>

"I...I love her."

He swallowed, not fully believing  
>himself.<p>

"I love her. It's not so hard to say  
>right?"<p>

There was a pause.

"Is that it?" he said. "I love her? That's all there  
>is?" If he loved her and couldn't bear the thought of her going, then why was he<br>so estranged at the thought of marriage? Perhaps...perhaps he was  
>scared.<p>

Again, he was used to having order in his life; and  
>nothing was so unpredictable as this sort of relationship. He was worried about<br>messing up the friendship they already had, and scaring her. He was worried  
>because he didn't know what the future would hold.<p>

And there was that final question; when he finally  
>told her the truth, would she accept his declaration, or say it was "forced,"<br>like in the movie?

He smiled a little. "No," he said. "No, I would've  
>come to that conclusion eventually. It would have taken years, but...I'd still<br>love her."

He formally finished his plan; figure out if she  
>loved him, and if she did, he detailed out his plan on how to court her,<br>corresponding with the days of the week. He dispatched a letter to his boss,  
>explaining that he'd be taking the week off, and prepared for the week to<br>come.

This was going to be scary.

As he laid down in bed, he thought  
>silently,<p>

"What if she doesn't love me back?"

He hadn't thought of that. What if she rejected his  
>love and went to live somewhere else? Then what would he do?<p>

As he drifted off, he realized that nothing could be  
>more horrible that that; he had never realized how much he loved the girl until<br>he was at risk of losing her.

And if he lost her, then he'd lose everything that  
>mattered.<p>

**Day 2 - A Hairbrush**

_He screamed and yelled, begging for him to stop.  
>"Don't hurt her!" he cried, but Rome would not listen.<em>

_"Your mother is weak, young child. She would die  
>without my assistance."<em>

_Passionately insane, he began to just scream and  
>claw, but Austria held him back.<em>

_"LET ME GO! DON'T HURT MY  
>MOTHER!"<em>

_The sword fell; and the Roman Empire had taken  
>her.<em>

_"Zwingli, you've never been like this before,  
>stop it! You're scaring me!" Roderich yelled.<em>

_"Let me go Austria!"_

Vash yawned and turned his alarm off. He shook his  
>head, trying to shake off the strange dream. <em>Why did I remember that all of a<br>sudden?_ The clock read 8:00 am. He normally got up at six, but since he had  
>the week off he decided to sleep in. Lili got up normally to feed him breakfast,<br>then went back to sleep, so he decided that he really wasn't wasting two hours  
>of precious time; she wasn't really active till eight.<p>

Breakfast.

Normally he could smell it by now, but for some  
>reason not this morning...<p>

Switzerland smacked his forehead. "Idiot," he  
>mumbled.<p>

He'd forgotten to tell Lili he had the week off.  
>She'd probably gotten up and cooked, then waited and he hadn't come downstairs.<br>He got dressed in his ordinary uniform as quickly as possible, then rushed down  
>the hall.<p>

He noticed that Lichtenstein's door was open, and he  
>heard soft music from inside. Peering into the doorframe, he saw her sitting at<br>her dresser, brushing her hair and listening to a music box he had bought her as  
>her first birthday gift.<p>

It was a dumb birthday gift, he knew, but he hadn't  
>really known what to buy her or what she would like at the time.<p>

_"Heck, I still don't,"_ he thought. This was  
>great. He'd been living with her for how many years, and now had decided he<br>loved her and wanted to marry her, yet he could not even think of what she'd  
>like for a birthday gift? Well, he thought, it was probably because she was so<br>selfless; Lili never asked for anything except her brother's love, so how could  
>he know what she wanted materially?<p>

She was intently humming the tune the music box was  
>playing, and didn't notice her "sibling," approaching at first. Then she looked<br>up in the mirror and saw him walking towards the chair.

Switzerland was so silent when he  
>moved...<p>

She was almost startled; Switzy never came into her  
>room unless she was sick and had to attend to her. He never really asked her to<br>come into his room either; she barely knew what it looked like. She didn't say  
>anything and just watched his reflection come nearer.<p>

He took a deep breath and thought,_ "Step one,  
>step one..."<em>

Step one was to find out if Lili loved him.  
>Logically, he deduced that in order to do this, he would have to confess his<br>love and see how she reacted (insert swallow of fear)...but he couldn't just say  
>it, right?<p>

_"I'll start with small signs of  
>affection...hugs...hand holding?"<em>

The annoying part was that hugs and hand holding  
>were normal for them.<p>

_"I need something more original,"_ he thought  
>in a panic. "<em>Damn it, why do you wait till now to think of<br>this?-!"_

_"_Gud morning, Svihtzy. Wvhy arrent you at  
>vurk?" she asked, in a sweet tone. Her fingers fumbled with the brush, which was<br>stuck in a knot.

She'd been really confused by Vash's behavior  
>yesterday; but then again, she'd been confused a lot lately about his behavior.<br>He'd been acting weird for almost a year now...

Today she was scared to face him.

This morning, when she'd made breakfast, she'd also  
>gone out to get the mail while she waited for Vash to wake up. Her letter had<br>finally come, and its contents scared her.

_Dear Amy;_

_How do you tell if a boy likes you? I know it's a  
>dumb question, but I really don't understand these things. I'm sort of<br>sheltered, and the one boy I like is also sort of the only person I can talk to,  
>so I can't ask him these kinds of things, you know? What are the indications,<br>the signs? How can tell?_

_Love, Lilly_

**_Dear Lilly,_**

**_I understand. You sound young; it takes a while to  
>comprehend the male species. They are from a whole other planet. The truth is,<br>it depends on the guy. Some will be blatantly flirtatious and do anything to  
>touch you, and will always be talking to you; they'll be smooth and constantly<br>be showing their interest. Something tells me that if your guy was like that,  
>you'd be able to tell. The problem is, a lot of guys don't say anything because<br>they're shy, or they don't want to ruin the relationship they already have with  
>you. For example, this boy you say is the only one you can talk to? He may have<br>a crush on you, he may not, but because you talk to him like he's a friend and  
>feel that you can't talk to him about these things, he may not feel he can<br>confess his love. Maybe not and he really is just a friend. Either way; if your  
>guy isn't flirtatious, the one surefire way to figure out if a guy likes you is<br>to do a simple test. Do something like hold his hand or give him a hug; a very  
>small sign of affection that you can make an excuse for doing. If he either; 1)<br>gets overexcited or 2) reacts awkwardly...and by this I mean turns red, blushes,  
>stutters, or even pushes you away and kind of gawks, or at worst runs away and<br>excuses himself, then he most likely likes you. If he gives you a weird look and  
>pulls away instantly (not awkwardly, if he pulls away because he feels repulsed)<br>or if he looks confused, then he probably doesn't. Of course, the best way to  
>find out is to ask, but if you don't want to ruin your relationship or are just<br>afraid, then you don't have to. Hope everything works out._**

**_Sincerely, _**

**_Amy_**

Blushing. Stuttering. Avoiding. Running away. Being  
>awkward.<p>

She'd thought that meant he was starting to get  
>annoyed with her. Apparently not...<p>

There was no way in heck...it wasn't  
>possible...<p>

Could Vash actually like her too? Now it all seemed  
>to make sense; every time she hugged him or held his hand or told him she loved<br>him, he often grew stiff and couldn't form sentences properly. Sometimes he  
>turned red and a couple times he <em>had <em>excused himself. And he always put  
>on the failure smile that was pretty much just creepy when that sort of thing<br>happened; a lame attempt at a smile that was obviously forced.

Now he put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. Did you cook breakfast?"

She nodded. "It got cold, I'm really sorry..." here  
>she paused for a second. <em>Signs of affection, see how he reacts...<em>she  
>hesitated and then finished her sentence, "...V-Vash."<p>

She felt it immediately. A little jump of tension in  
>his hand. She scrutinized the look on his face. He had closed his eyes tightly<br>and looked like he was trying to calm down.

"Don't be; I'm sorry but I forgot to tell you...I  
>took the week off work," he said slowly. She smiled immediately and said,<br>"That's wonderful! We can spend time together finally...but...V-Vash, you've  
>never taken the week...or even a day, except for holidays...off work<br>before."

He opened his eyes and did the failure smile. "Oh,  
>I...just thought I'd like to spend time with you. You know..."<p>

He wanted to spend time with her? He took off an  
>entire <em>week <em>for that? Something was up...His hands started to get sweaty  
>and he felt his cheeks burning. "<em>Why can't you be composed like you normally are,<br>and cynical yet serious?" _How could he get through married life with her if  
>he was nervous every time he saw her?<p>

_"I need to salvage this situation,  
>quickly."<em>

He saw light from the lamp glinting off the silver  
>hairbrush; there was a gleam of recognition in his eyes, and he nearly seized it<br>from Lili's hands. He couldn't look at her face...but the tarnished hairbrush  
>gave no reflection. Slowing his hand down just in time, he gently took the brush<br>from her. She was confused and nearly didn't let go of it, but he didn't see her  
>reaction.<p>

_"Just stare at the brush. Just stare at the  
>brush..."<em>

He found that not looking at her face made it much  
>easier for him, and soon he calmed down.<p>

She just sat, breathless, as Vash took the brush and  
>gently began to stroke her hair, very neatly, taking knots with his other hand<br>and brushing them out with soft, small strokes, so that it wouldn't hurt. His  
>fingers were laced through her hair, moving with precision and grace, smoothing<br>her silky blonde head.

Lichtenstein felt like she was being swept away;  
>since when did he act like this? She looked in the mirror, and to both his and<br>her surprise, his face was calm, the look quite natural. His eyes were lost in  
>her curls, which were just starting to reform since her hair was getting long<br>again. Neither of them said a word; there was only the sound of soft brush  
>strokes.<p>

Slowly he regained control, and when he was done  
>entirely, he placed the brush on the dresser and put both hands on her<br>shoulders. Their eyes met in the mirror, and he managed not to cringe from  
>anxiety; Lichtenstein saw nothing in his stare except intriguing<br>mystery.

There were so many things she wanted to say, but she  
>couldn't say a word. Frankly, she was stunned.<p>

_"I did it," _he thought silently. "_A small,  
>yet original sign of affection..."<em>

He couldn't believe the opportunity had presented  
>itself so neatly. Brushing her hair...why hadn't he thought of that earlier?<br>Suddenly, new ideas popped in his head. Picking her up and carrying her  
>somewhere on a walk. Cutting her food for her and feeding it to her on picnics.<br>Waking up early and cooking _her _breakfast for once, then bringing it to  
>her room. Buying her trinkets and leaving them places.<p>

There was a host of things he could do; he just  
>wished he had more time...<p>

He checked her reaction in the mirror. Was it good?  
>Bad? He saw in her face a look of shock, and then...a weird, moony eyed sort of<br>look.

Lili was absolutely shocked at first, but now, as he  
>placed the brush down, she was completely starstruck.<p>

_"Ohh..." _That was only thought that came to  
>mind. He was killing her; at that one moment, she was so hopelessly in love with<br>him she couldn't do anything else. She pored over every angle of his face, drank  
>in his essence, so unbelievably lost in the moment that she was incapable of<br>thought.

He took a deep breath and prepared. He couldn't  
>leave this hint of affection without a good closing.<p>

Leaning down, he rested his head on her shoulder as  
>casually as he could (not very), while still looking at her through the mirror,<br>and using all his remaining strength muttered,

"You look quite pretty today, Lichtenstein." He  
>couldn't say Lili. He could barely keep himself from shutting his eyes tight and<br>clenching his teeth in fear as one did on a roller coaster. He could feel  
>himself shaking and tried desperately to stop; she couldn't notice or be<br>suspicious.

Lili was completely tongue tied, and her heart had  
>stopped beating. She felt a crazy mix of adrenaline, confusion, fear and<br>complete and utter happiness spread all over her body, and she herself could  
>barely keep from shaking.<p>

"Th-tha-" she tried, but her voice  
>broke.<p>

"Thanks," she whispered.

With a final burst of sheer willpower, he pecked her  
>cheek and ran out of her room as fast as he possibly could, making a B line for<br>the bathroom. His circuitry had once again been overloaded, and he needed to sit  
>down, inhale quickly in a paper bag to keep from hyperventilating, recuperate,<br>and then plan his next move.

Suddenly Lili snapped back to reality and came to  
>her senses; her brain busily scrambled to process what just happened, and she<br>realized she couldn't let this opportunity pass.

"Vash!" she shouted, before she realized what she  
>was doing. Gasping, she put a hand to her mouth. What was she thinking? What<br>could she say to him?

Switzerland halted painfully. Dang, almost had it;  
>he'd only been a foot from the door... What was she going to say? Would she be<br>weirded out, or...who knew... He turned around slowly, putting on his poker face  
>that he used for making gambles.<p>

"_Why didn't I think of my poker face before?"_  
>he thought. <em>"This marriage thing has turned me into a real<br>idiot." _

"Yes?" he asked plainly, disguising all emotion as  
>best he could.<p>

"Vash..." she mumbled, and approached him, leaving  
>the chair behind.<p>

_"Oh, this is terrible," _she thought. _"I  
>have no clue what to say! What will I do now?"ˆ<em>

His stance was merciless, offering her no help to  
>escape the awkwardness she'd created by calling him back. She noted his stare,<br>which felt like ice, but noticed something else; there was an inconsistency. The  
>bottom corner of his lip was twitching just a little. Lili was the only one who<br>could understand his "poker face," as he called it, which was a special  
>expression he reserved for making gambles. He was famous for it among the other<br>nations, because no one could ever tell how he felt about his hand. But Lili had  
>learned over time; when Vash was nervous, he gave his never-changing failure<br>smile. And when his mouth wavered like that, he was trying to suppress that  
>tell-tale sign of nervousness, trying to stop himself from smiling in<br>anxiety.

Vash Zwingli was very nervous, and Lili knew  
>it.<p>

"I...I um..." she floundered helplessly. Switzy's  
>cheeks were becoming rosy.<p>

"_Damn it..." _he whined  
>inwardly.<p>

Having nowhere to go, nothing to turn to, Lili  
>closed her eyes tightly and resorted to her old saying of<br>gratitude;

"I just vant to zhank yu for all zuh vonderful  
>zhings yu du fvor me!" she cried, and put both arms out in front of her.<br>Normally she shoved a gift in his arms at this point, but there was no gift and  
>it wound up being an embrace; however, she failed to notice a mismatched shoe on<br>the ground and tripped, propelling her body towards Vash at full  
>speed.<p>

Switzerland, who was not anticipating this, wound up  
>falling backward and taking Lili with him, his eyes widening as he hit the<br>floor.

THUD.

_"Owww..." _he rubbed his lumbar spine.  
><em>"That's going to hurt in the morning..."<em>

Then he became aware of the fact that Lili's head  
>was resting on his chest, further paralyzing him and rendering him helpless. All<br>sense of calm had flown away, along with his poker face; replacing it was  
>shock.<p>

He lifted his head off the floor and nervously  
>waited for Lili to get off. He'd expected her to quickly scramble away and be<br>extremely embarrassed, but...

a few seconds passed and nothing happened. She did  
>not stir.<p>

His heart rate elevated through the roof. Barely  
>managing to speak, he said softly, "Li...Lichtenstein, are you okay? Did you<br>hurt yourse-" here his voice cracked and he shut his mouth.

His voice hadn't cracked in years! This was going so  
>astronomically wrong...<p>

_"Wait!" _he thought. _"This is my  
>opportunity to find out if she likes me! I could confess...right here..."<em> he  
>swallowed. That wasn't happening.<p>

There was silence for a moment, and he was becoming  
>legitimately concerned that she was hurt, when Lili muttered, "It...It beats<br>very quickly."

"Huh?"

"Your heart, it's beating very  
>quickly..."<p>

"Oh. Heh..."

That only increased his heart rate. Crap, she  
>knew...he found herself staring into her eyes as she looked up.<p>

Suddenly he felt soft vibrations all over his body,  
>and realized that Lili was shuddering.<p>

"Lili!" he asked in alarm; had she really injured  
>herself? "What's the matter?"<p>

He was amazed to find a little tear running down her  
>cheek as she whispered,<p>

"Yu no somting bruder?"

They were both so nervous they didn't notice the  
>word.<p>

Here she reached for his hand, quivering, and pulled  
>it towards her chest.<br>Vash's mouth opened and made a terribly awkward sound as he found her  
>pulling his fingers between her breasts.<p>

"L-li-li-," he couldn't say anything anymore, his  
>strength completely gone. He tried to ignore the feeling in his hand, but it was<br>so difficult...there was...there was...

"It's beating," she said, voice very  
>emotional.<p>

_Her heart?_

He focused for a moment, and then felt it; little  
>tiny pulses running rapidly across his fingertips.<p>

"It's beating very quickly too!" LIli cried and shut  
>her eyes.<p>

She was so very afraid now; what if it was like the  
>letter and he was...God forbid the word...<em>repulsed<em> by it? Then what  
>would she do? What if he didn't really want her around, how could she live<br>without Switzy?

Her hand was so clammy and her heart racing so  
>wildly she felt that she would faint; and the worst part of all was that he knew<br>now.

This may as well have been a  
>confession!<p>

"Lili."

She was afraid to open her eyes, but did  
>so.<p>

Suddenly his eyes were full of a new emotion, a  
>strange look she'd never seen before.<p>

"Lili..."

She gasped in wonder as Vash drew her nearer to his  
>body and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She could feel his breath on<br>her lips now, ever closer...This was...

"MR. SWITZERLAND!,"

The maid burst through the door with a broom in one  
>hand and a chicken hanging by its neck in the other.<p>

"IT'S A DISASTER! RITA FORGOT TO TURN THE STOVE OFF  
>AND...Oh...oh..."<p>

Suddenly the maid noticed the two. On the ground.  
>Very close...<p>

"Oh...Master, I hope I wasn't-"

"No, no, no!" said Switzerland very quickly, waving  
>his hand back and forth like a nervous madman.<p>

"Lili tripped and fell...I tried to catch her,  
>but...oh well, no success! Ha..ha..heh.."<p>

The maid raised an eyebrow. "Um...okay...master. But  
>seriously, you have to come to the kitchen now before the house catches on<br>fire!"

Switzerland sighed.

_"DAMN IT. DAMN IT. DAMN IT. I am so laying off  
>that maid!"<em>

So close yet so far...He awkwardly felt LIli rise  
>off of his body, and he struggled to stand.<p>

"I...I'm sorry Lichtenstein...I'll see you in a  
>little while, okay?" he said, incredibly flustered.<p>

"Oh...okay. Sorry Bruder."

They both winced. It was her default word when she  
>was nervous.<p>

And with that he was gone.

"Vash has a girly! Vash has a girly!"

Rita gave astronomical gasp and stopped chasing the  
>rampaging chickens that were wallowing in spilled smoothie.<p>

"WHO? Master finally came out of the closet and  
>found a little girly? No way!"<p>

_"That sounds so wrong..." _thought  
>Vash.<p>

Rita cocked the ladle in her hand and put the other  
>on her chin.<p>

"Hmm," she said inquisitively. "But who could go out  
>with master, he's so stoic!"<p>

_I love how they're talking as if I'm not here.  
>The servants have no respect anymore...<em>

"It's the young mistress!"

"GASP! I KNEW IT I KNEW IT! The day he brought her  
>in from the rain, I knew it was love at first sight!"<p>

A chicken clucked, attempted to fly, and knocked  
>over a flour bag.<p>

"Naughty Crissy!" scolded Rita.

Vash shut his eyes tightly and attempted to control  
>his anger.<p>

"You two are so fired."

...

"Svihtzy?" Lili called a little  
>nervously.<p>

Her eyes widened when she saw the kitchen;  
>Switzerland stopped sweeping and turned to face her.<p>

"Oh. The cooks made a mess."

"Is that smoothie?" she asked quietly.

"Apparently. There's flour everywhere too..." he  
>mumbled, and Lichtenstein laughed.<p>

He furled his eyebrows.

"What's so funny?"

"There's a feather in your hair, Vash."

She plucked the white chicken downy feather from his  
>hair, and he smiled.<p>

"What did you do with Rita and  
>Mirabelle?"<p>

"Sent them to Italy's place for the weekend...I  
>should have told them to clean this mess up first."<p>

Lili smiled but then realized...

"Wait...Where's Maria?"

"This is her vacation week."

Lie. He'd paid her to go.

"Your boss?"

"He's leaving me alone; he said I deserved a  
>break."<p>

"What about Harry?"

"Who?"

"The gardener."

"Oh." Vash shrugged. "He's on leave  
>too."<p>

"Then that means...that means we're all by  
>ourselves...Vash..."<p>

The name was still so new to her, but it felt  
>endearing.<p>

"Lili," he said, and took her wrist in his hand,  
>"You know that...you know that..."<p>

_Just confess. Get it over with; you have to get  
>past this step, you have to find out the truth!<em>

"You know that I...I love..."

Lichtenstein's eyes grew wide.

"...it when you call me Vash, right?" he finished  
>quickly, shutting his eyes.<p>

Damn it.

So much for Switzerland, the nation who had the  
>balls to say anything about anyone and not care about the outcome, and shot<br>trespassers on his property.

He couldn't make a measly confession to a little  
>girl. Or young woman, now.<p>

"Oh...It's okay then?" she asked, slowly  
>smiling.<p>

"Yes. Yes, I like that...It's more personal. If you  
>don't mind..."<p>

"Yes?"

"Don't call me your brother."

Lili gave her most innocent, cute look.

"Why?" she asked sweetly. Maybe he would say that  
>something...that something she hoped and dreamed for...<p>

"I don't think of you...I don't know...you're more  
>like a friend to me now. I enjoyed taking care of you when you were little, but<br>now you're older...I don't know, I don't think of you as a  
>sister...I..."<p>

_Good grief, why is this so  
>hard? <em>

"Vash..."

It didn't help that his brain melted a little each  
>time she said his name like that.<p>

_"I can't be afraid. I won't be afraid!" _he  
>thought fiercely.<p>

Switzerland understood his fear; it was the fear of  
>rejection. That Lili would be afraid of him if he showed how he felt. She seemed<br>to enjoy his failed attempts at flirtation so far, but that could be childish  
>innocence.<p>

_"It doesn't matter_," he thought. "_I'm  
>going to lose her anyway if I don't do something, so it doesn't matter if she<br>winds up hating me."_

"Lili, I want to tell you something," he mumbled,  
>his grip around her wrist like iron, his stare fixated on the<br>floor.

"Y-yes?" she asked with bated breath.

This was all some wonderful dream come true, she  
>decided. <em>I hope I don't wake up from this!<em>

"I...I...ah, ah...ACHOO!"

He sniffled and cursed Rita again.

"Br-Switzy?"

"Stupid flour."

She laughed and took the broom from  
>him.<p>

"Here, let me help."

...

The rest of the day was like a dream for  
>Liechtenstein, and if he hadn't been so anxious, it would have been for<br>Switzerland as well. They remembered it for the rest of their lives as a  
>wonderful dream, a short, hazy period of time that could never be had again in<br>quite the same fashion.

Lili had no idea so much fun could be had in a so  
>little time.<p>

They went on a picnic, then he taught her how to  
>shoot some more; they went to a special flower garden and wound up throwing<br>flowers at each other and getting kicked out.

They went to Austria's house to spy on him and annoy  
>him; (here the three year old sides of themselves came out) Hungary helped them<br>because she thought it was funny.

Felicianio said that Rita was hooking up with Romano  
>and stopped by to cook some fettuccine at Vash's request since Lili liked it.<br>Switzerland couldn't really stand the carefree, flirty Italian, and Feliciano  
>was extremely lazy and hated walking, but it was pasta so they put aside all<br>their differences.

They poked Japan in his sleep until he started  
>mumbling about Vash in a dress, which freaked them both out.<p>

He then bought her, "Lillies for his Lili," and she  
>begged for more chocolate, which he showed her how to make.<p>

He brushed her hair before bed in silence, then  
>tucked her in bed with a kiss on the cheek.<p>

Vash went to bed fairly satisfied, though he was  
>still quite worried about their relationship.<p>

He had it twice as hard as most couples; he had to  
>get out of the "sibling" zone and into the "friend" zone, and then he had to get<br>out of the "friend" zone. Tough.

He woke up especially early and went to the market,  
>then returned in the morning with two tiny parcels in his arm.<p>

When he got home, he took one and cooked Lili's  
>favorite dish with its contents. He brought her breakfast on a tray up to her<br>room, and allowed the other parcel to walk in excitedly.

Lili was awakened by the lapping of a tiny tongue on  
>her cheek. She opened her eyes hazily.<p>

"Mm...?...huh?"

Lichtenstein nearly died right there.

"Oh...oh! It's so...its so cute!"

No bigger than a teapot, the adorable, white,  
>fluffy, puppy, with a bow in its hair just like hers gave a little woof of<br>excitement, tail wagging. It seemed to like its new master.

"Oh, I don't know where you came from but I love you  
>already!" she squealed and hugged the little dog tightly. It stared at her<br>lovingly and she cooed to it in sheer joy. _What a precious little  
>thing!<em>

Then she looked up and saw Vash, a smile on his face  
>and a tray in his hands.<p>

Nothing short of a gasp escaped her  
>lips.<p>

"Oh...Vash! You do so much for me... Is that  
>breakfast?"<p>

"Just for you."

"But...I'm supposed to cook you breakfast! With  
>love! It's my duty..." she bit her lip. It was petty, she knew, but how else<br>could she even begin to repay all the wonderful things he'd done for  
>her?<p>

"Well I'm allowed to love you too, right?" said Vash  
>hesitatingly.<p>

He didn't know what was up, but for some reason he  
>felt calmer and more confident today, and the line fell from his lips more<br>smoothly than normal. Perhaps it was because yesterday had gone so  
>well.<p>

"Huh?" muttered Lili, cheeks turning pink. He kissed  
>her on the cheek and laid the tray on her lap. The dog suddenly became very<br>interested.

"Do you like him?" asked Vash. Lili clapped her  
>hands together and smiled as widely as she could.<p>

"Oh yes, yes! I love him, thank you so much! How can  
>ever thank you enough?"<p>

He looked at the floor but managed to stay in  
>control.<p>

_"Good, I'm getting better at this,_" he  
>thought.<p>

"How..." he started, and fumbled, but finished, "how  
>about a hug?"<p>

"W-what?" she said, flustered.

"Sounds like good payment to me."

"Oh...oh."

She put the tray aside a little shakily, and his  
>eyes glazed over for a second.<p>

_He suddenly said, "Wait!" and Lili stopped  
>moving, confused.<em>

_Eyes full of a hazy glow she'd never seen, she  
>cautiously tried a, "Switzy...?"<em>

_He pushed the tray aside and sat on the side of  
>the bed. "Lili," he nearly growled, with some amount of aggression in his voice.<br>She looked bewildered._

_Suddenly his fingers were in her hair and he met  
>her lips with vivacity. He could feel her quivering at his touch and continued<br>to press further. _

_"Vash..." she mumbled...there was a tussle  
>of-<em>

_"_AGH!" he coughed and bent over.

"Switzy!" exclaimed an alarmed Liechtenstein.  
>"What's the matter? Are you okay?"<p>

He panted for a few seconds. _That's the worst one  
>I ever had...This has to stop.<em>

"Yes...Yes, I just had a terrible thought," he  
>muttered.<p>

"What is it?"

"Don't worry about it."

He embraced her slowly and tried not to have any  
>more inappropriate visions.<p>

"Good morning, Liechtenstein."

_"Today is the day," _thought Vash. "_I can't  
>procrastinate any longer. Today I have to confess and hope for the<br>best."_

Little did they know, their happiness would be very  
>short lived.<p>

Gilbert smiled and shook his head as he lowered the  
>binoculars.<p>

"Damn it."

...

_"What the hell is wrong with you?-!" he screamed  
>at the top of his lungs.<em>

_Roderich shrunk against the doorframe. He'd  
>Switzerland angry, but not like this.<em>

_"You have any idea how much S*** I am in right  
>now?-! How much I have to work to sustain your ass and mine?-!"<em>

_"Zwingli-"_

_"DON'T ZWINGLI ME!"_

_His teeth were bared and he looked like a wild  
>animal. Austria swallowed at the gun slung across his shoulder; but his fears<br>were dismantled and replaced with confusion when Switzerland threw down the gun  
>on the floor and his cap too.<em>

_"You haven't been like this since your mother  
>died-"<em>

_"Don't you dare bring that up!"_

_He shut his mouth, and tried to back up further  
>but he was cornered.<em>

_"Stop it Zwingli, you're turning to Darth  
>Vash-"<em>

_"DON'T YOU SEE I CARED ABOUT YOU?-!" Switzerland  
>screamed.<em>

_"Wh-what?"_

_"WE WERE FRIENDS! As much time as I spent saving  
>you from Hungary and everybody else, as much time as I fought for you since all<br>you can do is play piano, I cared about you and didn't want to see you get  
>hurt!"<em>

_"I'm sorry-"_

_"The hell you are! So it comes to this...Get  
>out!"<em>

_Austria's eyes widened.  
>"Wait...what?"<em>

_Switzerland had said he'd love to be rid of him  
>before, but it had always been playful.<em>

_"GET OUT!"_

_"I can't-"_

_Vash picked up the gun and leveled in to his  
>forehead. Roderich whimpered.<em>

_"You better hope Hungary will say yes to your  
>sorry ass and marry you, because otherwise you'll be living alone! Now GET OUT<br>and NEVER COME BACK or I'll shoot you just like everyone else!"_

_Stunned, Austria slowly gathered his form and  
>opened the doorknob. It was thundering and rain was pouring; he adjusted his<br>glasses and looked back at Vash; his eyes showed no mercy, the gun never  
>wavering. He failed to see that the bottom corner of Vash's lip was<br>twitching. _

_"Switzerland...I'm sorry."  
>No change in<br>stance._

_Austria pulled his coat around his ears and  
>muttered, "Well...Goodbye. Friend."<em>

_He closed the door behind him and ran out into  
>the street, trying to find the path to his own house, which he hadn't lived in<br>for a long time._

_As he paused under a gas lamp, he looked back in  
>the window and saw the silhouette of Switzerland, gun still raised. Vash slowly<br>let it fall from his grasp, put his head in his hands...and began to cry,  
>shoulders shaking, his form crumpled in agony.<em>

Roderich's eyes snapped open. Hungary stirred beside  
>him.<p>

"What's the matter?" she asked drowsily. "You're  
>breathing heavy."<p>

He shook his head. _Why did I remember that all of  
>a sudden?<em>

Roderich paused for a moment.

"Did you know that Zwingli can be very  
>emotional?"<p>

Hungary laughed. "It's late for joke telling,  
>Roderich." Austria closed his eyes and smiled.<p>

"Only when he is under a terrible amount of  
>stress...he can explode into an emotional frenzy."<p>

"Really?"

"I've only seen it twice...but once he gets that  
>way, he becomes a whole other person."<p>

Hungary put an arm around him.

"Why were you thinking of this?"

He sighed. "I have a feeling...that this may come  
>between him and Liechtenstein."<p>

**That's all she wrote for now, folks. YES I put  
>Prussia in it; he is about to cause some major trouble for our couple to be.<br>Thanks for all your wonderful feedback, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I  
>know Vash is wayyy too confident at the end, and that it becomes extremely<br>cheesy, but...sigh I am too lazy to rewrite it. Also: I shamelessly stole "Darth  
>Vash," (he will be explained more later) from Fruits Basket's "Black Haru." It<br>will make sense at the end why I put that scene in there. **

**Please please please please REVIEW!  
>Thanks.<strong>


	4. Confessions

**(*Ahem* This chapter is 18,000 words long. I ** you not, it is that long. EIGHTEEN FREAKING THOUSAND WORDS. So get a snack and settle down; and DON'T BLAST ME FOR THE LONG AN CAUSE I GAVE YOU A FREAKING 18,000 WORD CHAPTER!**

**This is what happens when I can't update for a week...**

**Oh, also please, if you skip the next section of the AN in Italics, please read the bolded AN.**

* * *

><p><em>I used to PM people individually and thank them for reviews, alerts, and favorites, but I am so overwhelmed with the success of this story that I can't do that anymore...<em>

_THANKS SO MUCH!_

_This story has been my big break. I've never gotten such overwhelming positive feedback. So *drumroll please* I present the first ever Reviewer Award Ceremony!_

_AMAZING AWARD OF YOU ARE AWESOME- A rare award given to the people who have Reviewed, Favorited, and Alerted my story!_

_And these awards go to... (sorry if I spelled any of the usernames wrong)_

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_triple baka_

_The Animanga Girl_

_and..._

_Yoku no Yoru_

_Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and alerted, but special thanks to you guys who did all three! If I missed someone, please tell me...0-0_

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* * *

><p><strong>I added waayyyy more to this chapter, so those of you who I already mailed the chapter to, this chapter has three new scenes added. The beginning is the same, but don't be fooled...I added a ton more to this because people said the proposal was too rushed.<strong>

**WARNING: I have not read the manga yet (working on it) and have seen very little of Prussia, so if he is OOC, I apologize. I did my best. Oh, and Austria is terribly OOC in this, apologies.**

* * *

><p><strong>Day 3: The Confessions<strong>

"Any further and we'll be in the red."

"I know."

"What of the girl?"

A crooked smile formed on the nation's lips.

"She is as good as ours. You would not believe what I just discovered."

The boss appeared confused. "What?"

"Apparently the Swiss boss is tired of supporting the girl for nothing. He told Zwingli to get rid of her by the end of the week."

The boss sighed in relief.

"Then we're set. We just have to wait a week, then seize her..."

"Oh, I'll seize her vital regions," laughed the country. "But there is a twist."

"Oh."

"Apparently there's a loophole; if Zwingli gets her to be engaged to him by the end of the week, he can keep her."

"But he won't! She's like his sister, right?"

He shook his head.

"I thought so too, but I did a little spying just to check...and unfortunately, they were fooling around in her room."

"Ugh..."

"Yeah, I know. So it's simple; we just have to 'kidnap' the girl."

"Kidnap?"

"It'd be easier than invading. Swiss may be rusty, but he is still very strong. We'll try to make her leave by her own free will first."

"You think he'd even put up a fight? He's been neutral in every war for as long as I remember."

Prussia laughed. "If it's Lili I'm after, he'll fight with all he's got."

"So what do we do once we have her?"

Gilbert leaned back in his chair with an easy smile.

"Easy. I "marry" the girl, force her to sign the contract anyway...and then there is nothing Zwingli can do, even if he gets her back. It takes two weeks to annul a marriage contract. Then, with Lili's money, I will throw the most fantastic wedding ever seen, and Zwingli will have to come with all the other nations." He chuckled. "I'll probably divorce her quick once I have the money, though. I hate marrying for power."

Vash wasn't going to have as much time as he thought.

* * *

><p><em>Thunder boomed and lightning flashed very near to the house. Switzerland was a light sleeper, always ready to spring up and attack anyone who might attempt to assassinate him in the night. The Swiss man needed little sleep as it was.<em>

_He lay in bed that night, awaiting the end of the storm, when he heard a scream. Dashing out of the room, he bolted toward's Liechtenstein's door and silently cursed himself for not setting up high tech security devices around it...what if someone tried to harm her? Prussia or France or anyone else...they could come into her room with little difficulty..._

_He burst in through the door, and found the girl scrunched up in fear under the covers, gripping them tightly with her tiny white hands. Yesterday had marked her first year living with him in the house; she was barely ten at the moment._

_"Liechtenstein, what's the matter?" asked the teenager, realizing the thunder had probably scared her._

_"I...I had a terrible dream. And the thunder is scary...I'm sorry to wake you up. You can go back to sleep."_

_He shook his head. "I was already awake, don't worry."_

_He sat beside her on the bed. "What happened, can you tell me?"_

_She shook her head, though one hand was clutching his, trembling. "It's fine...please, you can go. I didn't mean to disturb you."_

_He sighed in disbelief. His heart was just beginning to melt with her constant consideration and selflessness, but he still was a little harsh at times with her. There was still a fair amount of fear and skepticism within him._

_"Are you sure you're alright?"_

_"Yes," she whispered, and he could barely hear her above the pouring rain. He didn't believe her for an instant as he left her bed. Walking slowly, he shut his eyes tight and debated heavily with himself..._

_"I'm going soft," he thought. He remembered Austria's face, and was torn. Leaning heavily against a wall, he gnashed his teeth and clenched his fist._

_"I can't...I can't...eh..."_

_He couldn't let his emotions betray him again._

_"Bruder?"_

_He turned to face her, now at the doorframe. She was still hiding under the covers, but her green eyes peered out from under the blanket; they were full of fear and admiration._

_Liechtenstein, the girl who had spent nearly all her time trying to win his admiration, and never once complained, griped, or cried, now was shriveled in fear; for the night was the same as the night she had been alone. Looking at the floor as he passed through the doorframe, she let out a tiny whimper._

_And with that one whimper she broke his heart._

_He sighed and returned to the bedside, and silently, without a word, he lifted her gently out of the bed, holding her to his chest._

_He could feel wet tears against his cheek, and shook his head. What a gift she was; he knew in that moment, he could trust her, he could believe in her. She was his only hope._

_It was dark as he took her to his bedroom; she rarely ever went in there. He laid her on the bed and did not feel the slightest bit awkward as he climbed in beside her._

_The storm was still strong, though its power was diminishing, and he looked at her face, illuminated by lighting. There was a small smile on her lips, and that ever present look of admiration in her eyes._

_"Bruder?"_

_"Yes, Liechtenstein?"_

_"Thank you. So much...I was so afraid..."_

_He patted her head, though he didn't smile. He hadn't smiled in years, and was not to smile for years._

_"Don't worry about it." He took a deep breath as he whispered softly, "If the bear or monster or whatever was in your dream comes back, I'll shoot it, okay?"_

_His rifle was still next to his bed._

_She quivered, and shook her head slightly._

_"That wasn't it..."_

_"Oh?"_

_"I dreamed...I dreamed that I couldn't find you. That I looked everywhere and I couldn't find you."_

_He didn't know what to say to that; he just opened his mouth, and then closed it._

_"She thinks so much of me...and I barely understand how to act around her..."_

_Still rough around the edges, he simply muttered,_

_"Well I'm not going anywhere. I'll never leave this place."_

_He'd shut himself in and was never going out._

_Slowly, Switzerland, though still lost in a muse, turned his back to her, and tried to fall asleep._

_She nervously fretted, not wanting to disturb him, but finally closed her eyes tightly and squeaked, "Bruder?"_

_He sighed. "Yes, Liechtenstein?" He still was edgy about warming up to her, though he was slowly accepting it._

_Suddenly her arms were wrapped around him tightly, and his eyes widened._

_"I love you!" she cried, burying her small head in his back and shuddering._

_He lay there, stunned, for nearly a minute, as she clutched him as if her life depended on it._

_He could hear the words play over and over again in his head._

_I love you._

_No one had ever said that to him before._

_"Liechtenstein?"_

_"Bruder?"_

_He turned to face her, and returned her hug._

_"Thank you."_

* * *

><p>Vash hadn't seen a thunderstorm like that ever again.<p>

Until tonight.

He looked at the rain pouring against the window with nostalgia, remembering the night Lili first told him she loved him.

He fingered the cross on his arm, where so long Alessandra had made her mark on him.

"Hmm."

Switzerland hadn't slept much since his boss' new command. He was always thinking, always remembering, always regretting.

There was the sound of faint footsteps, and even in the rain he could hear them. Vash didn't even turn to face her.

"Lili?"

"Can I sleep with you?"

Somehow it didn't sound the same now that she was fifteen...

"Aren't you getting a little old for this?"

"..."

_Sigh_. "Come on."

She climbed in beside him, and he felt his face flush wildly; thank God it was dark. His back was turned to her and he was afraid to move.

He shut his eyes tightly when her hand stole its way to his waist, and she wrapped her arms around him.

Now, with her head level to his, her legs reached past his kneecaps. Lili had grown up.

_Now I'm definitely not going to get any sleep._

This was quite odd, really...Liechtenstein hadn't slept with him since she was a little girl. Something felt very wrong here...

"Do you like that, brother?"

He could feel cold sweat starting to pour down his forehead.

"Wh-what?" he stuttered. Her voice sounded so...mischievous!

"Mm, I bet you like that..." she whispered, silently laughing.

Vash was really starting to panic now. _"What the hell is wrong with her?-!"_

"Brother, we haven't played any games in a long time..."

_She's gone mad! She's demented!_

"Would you like to play a game with me?"

_"I knew I shouldn't have let her hang out with Belarus!"_

Suddenly her hands were reaching for his shirt buttons.

"Uwahh!" he moaned, terrible awkward noises coming from his throat...

"Li-Lili! What're you do-"

"Don't you want to play? C'mon, it'll be fun!"

"Augh! Lili, no, I can't possibly violate...violate you..." he stumbled, petrified at the feel of cold hands on his chest.

"AWWAHHHHHHH..."

* * *

><p>"...HHHHHHHH!"<p>

"Vash, Vash! Wake up, stop it!"

Vash's eyes burst open.

He was still breathing heavy and wanted to throw up.

Switzerland turned away from Lili and covered his face with his gloved hands, wishing desperately for a paper bag. It was difficult not to hyperventilate.

_"DREAMS now?-! And I thought Holy Rome was bad..."_

He looked at the ceiling angrily.

_"I swear it isn't like that! I don't want to do anything like that to Liechtenstein, stop sending me these kinds of visions, God!"_

"Switzy?"

Her face was innocent yet again...he feared that he would never be able to see her in the same way.

"Oh...Brother...I mean, Vash...?"

"Huh...Yeah, Yes?"

"You look very...red."

Switzerland had been blushing a lot lately but this was beyond the usual.

"Um..."

He'd been taking a nap. The previous long, sleepless nights had taken their toll on him, and he'd apologized but needed a break. Lili had quietly been working around the house, sewing and mending, seeing as the maids were no longer there.

"You were thrashing around and mumbling...something about playing a game?"

"EHP! I mean, uhm..."

She saw sheer terror in his eyes, something she'd never seen in Switzerland before. Then they turned to a look of anger.

He was so angry right now; at everything.

"I have to go!"

"What?-!"

"I mean...I need to take a walk. I'll be back soon, alright?"

"Won't you please tell me what's wrong?"

"NO!"

She shrunk back, the blouse she had been fixing held up against her mouth.

Switzerland frowned.

_"I can't do anything right, now can I?"_ he thought begrudgingly, trying to control his temper.

"Rrr...Eh...Sorry, it's just..."

"Why don't you trust me, Vash?" she whimpered, but then shook her head vigorously. "Oh! Forgive me...of course your plans are far above my head...you don't want me bothering you-"

"Lili..." he interrupted painfully. "It's not that...it's...I don't want to worry you. And..."

He looked at his gloves and played with the stitching in irritation.

"... I'm dealing with a lot of...new feelings...I don't understand...Oh, forget it!" After that he could say nothing. He donned his cap and coat, grabbed his rifle, and was out the door.

* * *

><p>Vash hated leaving Lili alone in the house, but as far as he knew, nobody but the servants realized the house was empty.<p>

Unfortunately, he had a bit of a hot chocolate habit, which he hadn't told anybody about yet; it was starting to take over his life and he was considering seeing a therapist about his addiction. Until then, he needed to travel to the market and buy Swiss Miss, and until the servants returned to milk the cow, he needed to buy milk.

Hot chocolate would soothe his wracked nerves. He didn't like being mean like this to Lili, but he didn't know how else to deal with his feelings a lot of the time.

By the time he had reached town, he had calmed down considerably, and for the time being, he was thinking of other things.

He traveled alertly through the street, fingers tightly clutching his sidearm. Anywhere else in the world this might have been strange, but in Switzerland everyone was always on guard.

His eyes scanned the crowd with distrust; anywhere an intruder could be lurking.

He was right.

Though he was hiding in the shadows, Switzerland picked up on Gilbert's gray head of hair immediately and let out a battle cry, raising his rifle.

The Swiss people analyzed the situation with alarm; when they realized their mascot nation was attacking an intruder, they immediately joined him and began to close in on Gilbert.

But when Vash rounded the corner, he was gone.

"After him!" he cried. "Find him!"

The townspeople were quickly backed by law enforcement, but there was no sign of Prussia. Switzerland growled, annoyed that he'd missed the fool the first time he shot. He commanded the police to find Gilbert, and was off.

Quickly he rushed home, pondering what to do next and wishing he'd had time to get hot chocolate. Suddenly he remembered Lili...Lili was home alone!

He bolted down the path to his house, brushing people and animals aside.

"My God, what if he's already there, and she's all by herself...Stupid chocolate habit! What was I thinking leaving her alone-"

He burst through the door and was met with a very hot liquid splattering in his face and a scream.

Switzerland yelped and clutched his face, trying to soothe his burning skin and open his eyes; that scream had been Lili's, he had to see if she was hurt!

A bit of the liquid dribbled into his mouth and he realized...it was chocolate?

He opened his eyes painfully and noted Liechtenstein, empty mug in hand, on the floor, her uniform utterly soaked and her hair in a tussle.

"Oh! Switzy, I'm so sorry this hot chocolate was supposed to be for you...you were so upset and I know it soothes your nerves... it's ruined now! How stupid of me to stand behind the door..."

His eyes were just wide with shock.

"Are you burned? Wait...we had hot chocolate the whole time?-!" he exclaimed.

She shook her head. "I'm fine, I'm just so sorry it's ruined...and I'm sorry my uniform won't match yours..."

He threw his hands up in disbelief at the girl. _"Does she always think of everyone but herself?"_

"Will you ever stop being so silly and think for a change?-!" Vash scolded.

"I really am sorry it's messed up-"

"Not the damn chocolate, Lili, you could have been burned! Take better care of yourself, for C-" he faltered, "...for crying out loud!"

He never swore in front of Lili, who now looked very ashamed.

Switzerland sighed and cursed himself. Why did he always wind up making her feel bad?

Vash joined her on the floor and dabbed at the mess with a kerchief. By the time he was done the rag was completely soaked; he started to feel sticky, because he'd been drenched in the liquid as well.

Lili looked up at him with her green pools of glass, and felt her heart skip a beat with nervousness. "I've been awful bold these past few days...But he hasn't seemed to have minded very much. I wonder if that means anything...I know he's not really angry, but I hate to make him worry."

"V-Vash?" she whispered timidly.

"Yes?"

"You...You have some on your face."

"Oh...well the cloth is soaked, I'll have to get another-"

"Wait! I mean, eh, I can get it, it's only a little tiny streak running down your left cheek..."

He saw that she looked petrified and wondered why, but nodded silently. "Go ahead," he said, skepticism surfacing. He observed her actions carefully...

And suddenly she was on his lap, drawing closer.

"Ehhh..." He became very flustered at her advance, for he had not been anticipating her bold move.

His imagination didn't even have time to flare up before she placed both hands on either side of his head, and closed the distance between them.

Switzerland shut his eyes tight and could almost feel the steam rising off of him, his face totally red with embarrassment.

_"My God, she's going to kiss me!"_

All the realizations of what this meant did not have time to dawn on him; but he knew enough to wrap his arms around her and further speed her approach.

_"This is it,"_ he thought in a daze, preparing for the feel of her soft lips...He could already feel the press of her breasts against his chest, which made him nearly hyperventilate.

"Ow!" she cried, and he jumped back. "Brother, you smacked me into your cheek!"

_Epic Fail._

"Ooh! Oops, sorry..."

She was still entwined in his arms, and Lili felt herself go red; but it was too late to back out now.

Liechtenstein couldn't help but wonder why he'd slammed her into him like that, but decided to proceed...quickly.

Cautiously, she extended her tongue and quickly licked off the streak of hot chocolate.

Switzerland's eyes sort of glazed over at this. He gave her that new fiery look she was beginning to understand, a look he'd never really sported until recently. Lili gave a subtle gasp, realizing the depth of his gaze.

_"Lil..." he whispered, placing a hand behind her back and pressing her close._

_"Eh?"_

_"You have some on your face too."_

_"Oh..." she said softly, as he put a hand on her chin, turning her face so that she was forced to look into his eyes. Her lips quivered, and she trembled with fear, but his face was full of confidence as he smiled. She shut her eyes in embarrassment, but he knew he had full control over her._

_He licked a dribble that ran down her mouth, and felt her seize up with tension; but as he finished and looked her eyes, she succumbed to his touch and went limp._

_"Vash..."_

_Her kiss was so soft, so delicate...He embraced her tightly, pushing further, taking her to the floor when..._

"Um...Switzy?" Lili interrupted. He'd been staring into space with a sort of creepy smile, mumbling.

"AAAGGGGGHHHHHH!" Vash screamed and clutched both sides of his head.

Lili yelped and jumped off his lap.

He put a hand over his mouth to keep from hyperventilating. "_It gets worse each time_!" he thought with a moan. _"This has got to stop..."_

"Vash! What's the matter, what did I do?-!"

He shook his head. "You did nothing, I just...I feel sick, I need to go!" he rose awkwardly and hurried off to his room. He tried to to brush her off as badly as before.

"But...wait!" she cried, grabbing his arm as he passed, but he shoved her away and ran.

"Oh..." she mumbled in disappointment, then sat in a heap. This was all her fault! She shouldn't have sat by the door so stupidly waiting for him to come...and she should have just got a napkin. Licking his face and sitting on his lap must have really creeped him out.

_I feel sick..._

Liechtenstein sniffled as she fetched some more paper towels to clean up the mess.

_I feel sick..._

A tear mingled with the chocolate. "_I made him sick."_

Vash ran to his room and slammed the door behind him, breathing heavy. He spread his arms across the back of the door, as if to keep it from opening, then sunk to his knees and covered his mouth.

_"This is bad...this is bad, bad, bad! Why do I keep imagining dirty things?-! Why do I keep pushing her away?"_

He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to regain control. His bed was only a few feet away, but suddenly he seemed to be at a loss for strength. Sighing, he lowered himself to the floor and rest his head on the carpet. Weariness consumed him; he felt sometimes as if all the odds were against him.

People don't seem to understand the hardship that Switzerland suffered. His life had never been easy; having no one to raise him, he'd formulated his own ideas about how the world worked. Always, there was a sense of bitter regret in him. In truth, Liechtenstein had only occupied a very short amount of time in his life; she was like a breath of fresh air, a relief from a long period of his suffering.

_Rain was always prevalent in Vash's life, it seemed, whenever there was a struggle. He faced the girl with a look of stoicism, though inwardly he pitied her immensely. She so closely resembled him that when he looked up, it was if he stared into a distorted kind of mirror._

_"You are better fit for the job anyways," she sighed, and fell to her knees. The crowd roared, their thumbs all pointed downwards, and the boss gave the final nod._

_Vash brandished his sword, but knelt down to meet her eyes. "Mother loved you most."_

_She turned away. "It doesn't matter now, does it?"_

_The crowd booed and the boss frowned. The final signature was to finish off your opponent; those who refused were not granted the rite._

_"Just do it, Vash. I hope...I hope you find what you're looking for."_

_He refused to cry, for fear of them thinking him weak, but it was difficult._

_"I lost mother already...how can I lose you?"_

_"They say we don't really die. Perhaps it is true. Now do it, before you are looked down upon."_

_Vash's tiny fingers clutched the rapier with resolve as he stood, a boy barely three and a half feet tall._

_"Remember me, Vash." She pointed to the bloody mark she'd made upon his arm; it was in the shape of a red cross, and it was the only damage she'd been able to do him, though she herself was battered and bruised. He looked at the scar and muttered, "I will."_

_They stared in each other's eyes for the last time, and in that moment, Vash Zwingli took on the role of Switzerland._

_"Goodbye, Alessandra."_

_"Goodbye, Vash."_

_He took her wrists gingerly in his hand, and she closed her eyes tightly. With a final gasp, he sliced the rapier across and watched her cry in pain, though her scream was lost in the roar of approval from the crowd._

Vash sighed as he rolled up his sleeve and stared at the mark. The scar had faded a lot since then, and was barely there anymore.

_"You must define your flag, Zwingli. What colors do you want?" Vash stared at the place where Alessandra had cut him, now a white scar, that had once been blood red, and remembered her voice, far away..._

_"Remember me, Vash."_

_He nodded slowly and said... "Make it red. With a white cross in the center."_

The sun had risen over Switzerland, and Vash remembered his role, the role he had fought for in the arena with Alessandra, and emerged victorious. He wondered how she was now, chained in the vault; surely she'd come to regret her decision.

"What is this," he murmured. "Why am I thinking of her again?" She had consumed his thoughts until Liechtenstein came, and had been the only real source of emotional worry for him...

The week before had been a tough one at work. The economy took careful balancing to keep in check, and he'd risen from virtually dirt to become one of the most successful in the world. Always, there was the stoic Switzerland, who befriended no one, gun at his side, looking over the Alps with a sneer.

Yes, no one understood the incredible amount of stress the Vash underwent. He always took it like a soldier and never complained; perhaps this was why no one understood him. Lili was his only relief, and with the thought of losing her, suddenly he felt as if he couldn't bear it.

He'd never spoken of Alessandra to anyone; most of the countries never spoke of their counterparts. It was a dark side of all of their lives they preferred to keep quiet. Most of the men, being stronger than the women, had been victorious over their female identities; but a few of the stronger girls had made it. Switzerland had often wondered how the dainty little Liechtenstein had ever had the courage to send a little boy to his death.

Switzerland tightly grasped the cross around his neck, trying to regain the control he'd so carefully built and was slowly losing.

_"Darth Vash,"_ he thought with regret. _"He can't come out or I'll lose Lili for sure."_

The thunderstorm of emotion that he always kept chained up inside was building, tired of being restrained; this rarely happened, but when it did, he often disappeared into the Alps for a few days to let it out. But now he had little time left to court Liechtenstein; he needed to stay with her and control himself.

Vash took a deep breath, and was analytical again, for the sake of calming himself. He formulated a plan, and heard a soft knock on his bedroom door.

"V-Vash? Are...are you okay?" Lili whimpered softly from outside the room.

He paused a moment, then murmured, "Come in, Liechtenstein."

She timidly opened the door, and found Vash at the window, staring into space. Softly she padded up to him, hands clutched in front of her, and whispered, "I'm so sorry..."

He did not turn to face her, but she noted that he looked very distressed.

"I'm so sorry I ruined your uniform-"

"I don't give a damn about the uniform, Lili!"

She shrank back, very afraid. "I'm sorry..." she blurted, so unhappy that he was unhappy.

He said nothing to her for a long while, then muttered, "What was his name?"

"Huh? Whose name?"

"Your counterpart, what was his name?"

Lili gasped, and wondered why that was bothering him. "Switzy, you know it's forbidden-" she whispered, but he cut her off.

"Who cares? What're they going to do to us? My boss is gone anyway. Tell me, what was his name?"

She looked at the floor and sighed. "I don't like to think about him...it makes me very sad...I couldn't kill him, he made it look like..." here she swallowed and shook her head. "His...his name was Ralph."

Vash looked in her eyes, though her gaze was fixed on the floor.

"Sweet Lili," he said softly. She didn't know how to say or feel; right now she was utterly confused and saddened by her brother's strange mood.

He sighed as he shut the blinds and said, "Pack your bags, Liechtenstein. We're going on a trip."

"Oh?" she asked, taken back a little by the sudden announcement. "Where are we going?"

"To my cabin in the Alps. I saw Prussia in the market today, but he got away when I attacked. It's not safe for you here while he's around, I want us to take a vacation until then."

Lili couldn't help but smile.

"Does...does that mean we get to visit my favorite place?"

He nodded in affirmation. "We can stop at the lake where we picnicked on the way back."

She clapped her hands in joy. "I'll set about fixing your uniform..." she said, but he shook his head in refusal.

"I've got plenty, don't worry. And I want you...I want you..." here he blushed, embarrassed at the request. He'd been debating whether or not to ask this or not, but he decided to do so. "I want you to wear the dresses I bought you."

Lili was puzzled. "But...how will I climb the mountain in a dress?" she asked.

He lifted a hand. "Don't worry about it, you'll see when we get there."

He'd never climbed a mountain whilst carrying another person in his arms, but Lili was light and there was a first time for everything.

"Oh...okay...I'll get packing. What should I prepare your bag with?"

He almost laughed, and was glad he could shake off his dark feelings for now.

"Lili, you're my friend, not my servant. I'll pack my own bag, just worry about yourself for once."

Liechtenstein stared at him in seemingly earnest innocence.

"Am I really?" she asked softly.

"Really what?"

"Your friend." The answer to that was so important to her.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, and Switzerland did his best not show how he felt.

"Lili..."

How could she know? How could she know that her tiny little figure, clothed in a dress with a teacup in her hand, with little sense to her and not even a hint of a military, had saved him? How could she know that her compassion and never ending love for him had saved him from the prison of his memories, from his indifferent, neutral attitude towards the world, and ultimately, from himself?

Lili was his only hope, and his only weakness.

He reached out and touched her bow, then ran his fingers down the strand of hair, till he was holding the end of it in his hand.

"...you're much, much more than that to me."

She stood speechless in response, and saw a strange vulnerability in his eyes that he'd never shown before. She was unable to comprehend the sadness, and the gratitude within them.

_"Thank you,"_ he thought silently, then added with a firm nod, _"I won't lose you."_

"Run along now. Pack your things," he said, releasing her hair, his face returning to its neutral frown. She nodded quickly. "Yes, thank you!" and scampered off.

He watched her disappear through the doorframe and couldn't help but think that no matter how much time he had left with her, he was grateful for every second of it.

* * *

><p><strong>(This next section is my personal diss towards obnoxious American culture...though I am American and proud of it)<strong>

"Oh, crap," muttered Vash. Lili frowned at the sign though inwardly she was rejoicing.

They made a pretty picture, standing there in historic Switzerland. She was clad in a fur traveling dress, with a hat and scarf to accompany it. Vash, in his military uniform as always, held his arm out for her, which she grasped with a gloved hand.

"There's a roadblock?" he moaned, annoyed that he didn't know what was going on in his own country. It was his job to keep tabs on everything; a job that most of the other mascot countries ignored.

"Just a one week vacation, and everything falls apart," he grumbled.

"We'll just have to reroute down this street, it still leads to the mountain, right?" Liechtenstein asked.

Switzerland sighed. "Yes, but unfortunately, it leads through the tourist district..."

"And?"

"And it's swamped by Americans."

Switzerland could not stand Americans, but let them in for touristry only because they brought him a good deal of money.

"I remember boss mentioning Mr. America is going to visit this sector at some point...but I don't remember when."

He shook his head and hoped that it wasn't now; the last thing he needed was America's obnoxiousness hindering their journey.

They traveled down the street, and Lili resisted her urge to go into the little curio shops to buy souvenirs; Vash just took her hand and led her through the maze as quickly as possible. Finally they approached a huge building that wedged the end of the street, and it appeared as if there was no way around it.

"This is the worst part," Vash muttered.

"Isn't this a shopping mall?" Lili asked.

"Exactly."

Not only was this a shopping mall, this was a big ass American sized shopping mall.

Instantly as they opened the doors, there was the sound of insanity. People were everywhere, gambling at slots, eating ice cream and pizza, buying way too many designer clothes, and just being facetious in general.

"Come on," he murmured, rushing through Macy's and doing his best not to veer his eyes from the ground when they passed through the lingerie section. (He failed at times) Somehow he managed to get stuck in front of Victoria's Secret as there was a crowd gathered in front of it.

"You know, I've never met America's counterpart. Have you? Is she as bad as him?" asked Vash, trying not to look at the "bombshell," advertisements in the window.

_Epic Fail...again._

They had taken America's counterpart out of the vault after the death of Susan B. Anthony, and she had equal responsibilities. Americans were strangely into equality.

"No. I hear she's really nice though, and not quite as self centered," replied Lili. "Her name is Rachel."

"Interesting."

They rushed through the main avenues of the mall until they heard a, "Hey, wait up!"

Vash turned around to see a woman rushing towards him in a pair of very tall Stilettos. She had on huge sunglasses, despite the fact that they were indoors, and was making waves.

All around her sat people; people on benches, people ordering food, people with shopping bags...and every single man stopped what he was doing and stared.

Lili noted their reactions; most were teenage boys, who got a sort of far away look and started smiling stupidly.

She looked at Vash quickly with worry; was he too taken by her spell?

Indeed not. He did raise an eyebrow at the figure, however. She was quite tall, with a very slim waist and a good set of knockers. Her hair flowed down her back and her walk was saucy and sweet.

"Nice to meet you, America said you'd show up."

Lili blushed as she realized who it was and hoped Vash wouldn't be taken by her beauty.

"Oh...uh, hi," he said.

"Hello, Ms. Fox," said Liechtenstein.

Vash turned to Lili. "You know each other?"

Lili blinked. "Don't you recognize her? We've seen some of her movies..."

The woman laughed and said, "Maybe I should take off my glasses."

Even Vash was taken back a little by her face. Her eyes were lusty with life, and she licked her lip a little seductively. Every other man was drooling at this point; but Switzerland only thought her beautiful. Appearances didn't mean much to him.

"Are you one of America's friends? He's quite rude not introducing me to you..."

"Don't you remember Transformers, Switzy?" whispered Lili.

He'd tried not to. A senseless work of CGI that had no real depth to it...Suddenly he remembered. The independent woman at the beginning who wound up being a bimbo at the end...yes, this was her.

"Yo! Zwingli! What's up, man?" cried an obnoxious voice.

"Here we go," Vash muttered under his breath.

"I was beginning to think you'd never show up!" said America loudly, clapping Vash on the back.

"You like him, Megan?" asked America with a wink. She smiled and put the end of her sunglasses into her mouth.

"Mm. I like."

Lili paled at this and Switzerland stepped back. _"She is a fox!"_

He had to admit she was very pleasing to look at; but for him, the better looking the woman, the craftier. He didn't trust any woman except for Liechtenstein.

"Woah! Lil sis grew up!" exclaimed America, taking her hand and twirling her around. Lili was flustered by this, and Switzerland bared his teeth. But before he could do anything Megan put a hand on his cheek.

"I've heard great things about you, boy."

"Oh...ah, have you?"

"Mmm."

She smiled and put a hand on his waist. Lili drew her eyebrows in a line, but could not escape from America. "You'll look awesome at the rave! Save me a dance!" Alfred exclaimed.

"Rave? What?" she murmured absent mindedly, paying attention to her brother.

Vash was now uncomfortably close to Megan. The teenage boys glared at him with unspoken evil.

"I hear you're kick ass with a rifle, and with a woman's heart..." she whispered.

America laughed and slapped him on the back. "Save it for later, you two! It's time for the rave, I brought all my friends!"

"Rave?" asked Liechtenstein.

"Friends?" groaned Switzerland.

"Those clothes are a no go, though. We're going to have to fix that. Guys!"

Suddenly there were hands all over the two, splitting them apart.

"Let's fix you up, sweetie!" cried a woman in patriotic clothing, who carted Lili away.

"Hey!" yelled Vash, cocking his rifle. America lashed out with a kick.

"Nuh Uh, naughty Zwingli! No firearms in the mall!"

"You give me that back right now or I swear..." Switzerland growled.

"No way Jose."

"Bend over or I'll beat you with my peace prize!"

He was seized by a dozen hands and dragged backwards.

"Hey, America!" he yelled.

"Yes?-!" replied two voices, one belonging to Alfred and the other belonging to the strange woman in patriotic clothing...

"That must be Rachel," Switzerland noted.

"There is no way we can go to a rave, let us go-"

"Aww, cmon man, don't be ridiculous, even Swiss people party!"

"But-"

It was too late.

An hour later Vash found himself clad in American Jean shorts and a punk T shirt, a baseball cap backwards on his head. They'd had to bound and gag him to put it on though...

_"How degrading..."_ he thought miserably. _"How can I be in alert form like this?"_

He desperately was searching for something, anything he could use as a weapon...but the majority of the crowd was female, and he hated hurting women unless it was absolutely necessary, though he distrusted them all (except or Lili).

Vash was attracting quite a bit of attention, though.

"Wowzas!" said a voice next to him, and he turned to see its owner. The girl was blonde with long, curly hair. She looked as if she hadn't showered in months, had blue lipstick on, and was covered in glitter.

"Um.." he muttered.

"Nice to meet ya. Who are you?" winked the girl.

Switzerland realized that without his normal clothes and uniform, people couldn't recognize him.

Suddenly a plan formulated in his head and he knew what he had to do...if only he could find Lili.

"Yo! Dude, looks like you already met her!"

Switzerland groaned as America introduced the girl with blue lipstick.

"Meet my homie, Ke$ha."

"Pleased to meet you," she said, while chomping on bubblegum.

"I'm going to kill you, Alfred."

"Oooh, whatawe have here?" said another voice.

This woman was actually quite beautiful but she had an annoying voice; she was wearing a candy cane dress with very conspicuous cupcakes on her chest.

Vash couldn't help but stare at them.

"Uhhhhmmmmmm..."

"Heh, they always talk to the chest. I'm Katy, nice to meet you! ...Switzerland, right? Boy, you are a cutie..."

He snapped out of his muse.

"Heh...You're an American girl, right?"

"Nuh uh, honey pie," she said, winking and playfully poking him. "I'm a California Gurl!"

He stood staring at her for a moment.

"Isn't...California...in America?"

She paused for a moment and appeared to be in deep thought.

"I dunno. I was never really good at spelling or geography...but I do know I'm a California Gurl!"

"I've got to find Lili! These American girls are crazy..."

"American girls..." he murmured, and Katy corrected him. "California gurls, boy."

"Sweet niblits! What do we have here?"

He groaned. The newest girl looked at him from top to bottom.

"Boy, do you know how to Party in the USA?-!"

"Um..."

"Let's smoke a bong together!"

_"AUGH!"_

Loud obnoxious music was playing, with ridiculously emphasized beats. Finally he spotted Lili and was horrified to find that America had her. He managed to hear the tail end of their conversation.

"Wanna dance, little Lily?"

"Um...Okay. How do you dance here, what are the steps?"

America laughed. "If you want to dance American style...there aren't any!"

"But...then how...?"

She didn't have time to really respond when America put both hands on her hips and pulled her close to his, then began to rock her slowly.

Switzerland's jaw nearly fell off and he was paralyzed for a moment.

America was laughing loudly. "This is how we dance out here!"

True, Lili noted, that's how everyone around her was, 'dancing.'

There was also a cluster of people packed into a circle, seemingly amused with something in the middle.

"What's in there?" she whispered, starting to get used to America's rhythm.

"You don't want to go in there, not yet anyway! Haha!" he exclaimed, running his hands up and down her body.

Lili admitted that the dancing was fun, but she felt very uncomfortable with America so close to her and could feel her face flush with humiliation...You had to be really close with your dance partner for this not to be awkward.

All in a flash Alfred was ripped from her body and was smarting on the floor.

"Oww...Dude, chill!" he whined, but there was no mercy in Vash's stare.

"You do that again and I'll kill you. If I had a gun right now I _would _kill you."

America put his hands up in protest. "Aww, man, okay, okay!"

"He's got one hot little sister," thought Alfred begrudgingly.

"Look we need to go, seriously," he growled, protectively shielding Lili with his body. She was in a cocktail dress, and at the feel of her legs, he blushed. He'd never seen her bare legs before, never mind felt them...

"Party pooper," said America good naturedly, and stuck out his tongue.

"See ya! Come back for slots later."

"Yeah. No."

Blushing profusely, Switzerland dragged Lili out of the dance club and grabbed their packs. They raced through the remainder of the mall and burst out the back door, which had a trail behind it.

Lili noted the crickets chirping, and breathed in the fresh Alpine air.

"That was...weird," she admitted. Switzerland shook his head.

"Americans."

He ripped the cap off his head and threw it on the ground.

"The good news is that he gave me an idea."

"Oh?"

"People will recognize us in our normal clothes...We should stay disguised until we reach the cabin."

Walking in silence, the calm of the country began to have an effect on them. No longer surrounded by heinous noise,Vash took a deep breath and relaxed; he could not stand those types polluting his precious Alps.

They followed the path through the still summer twilight, noting the gold sheen that glinted off the landscape, until they found the main trail up the mountain.

"Where's the gate?" asked Lili curiously. She'd been there before, by the way of the main road; normally they had to pass a gate, which had a message board on it for hikers with advisories posted.

"We took a shortcut into the park," said Vash.

"Oh... Shouldn't we check the board for warnings at the gate?"

Vash considered this anxiously; the light was fading quickly, and he didn't want to spend the night in town. They had just gotten to the sweet country air that he loved...One more day in the city and he could break.

You only had to walk for about twenty minutes down the main trail and then veer off the path for a short climb to get to the cabin; if they went back now, they'd never make it in time.

"We'll be fine. I've been up here hundreds of times and there's never been an advisory."

"Okay..." she said uncertainly, and followed him. He took her hand and ran as quickly as he could down the trail.

"Vash!" she called.

"Yes?"

"How am I going to climb the last part with a dress?" she asked. He smiled nervously and stopped for a moment.

"I...I'll carry you."

She blinked. "Won't that be hard on you? The supply backpack is almost fifty pounds already...can you carry me and the pack?"

His smile changed to one of slyness.

"You doubt me, Lili?"

The T shirt he wore was thin, but cut off short; she noted the bulge in both of his arms. Switzerland never stopped working outside, or training vigorously.

"_What am I thinking, of course he can carry me,"_ she thought, and said, "Oh...If it's not too much trouble."

"It isn't," he said quickly, then turned around and kept running. She blushed as she remembered his request; he'd wanted her to wear dresses, which meant that he'd wanted to carry her...he'd had this specifically in mind.

_"Ohhh..."_

The sun had nearly set as they reached the base of peak; over the top, on the other side, in a secluded valley, was a cabin especially made for Vash.

There was a large cave at the base of the mountain, but one could climb around it to reach the top.

"Come on, Lili."

He opened his arms for her to climb on, and she bit her lip in nervousness. They were like pythons, his arms! She'd just never noticed before...So muscular.

She wondered for a short second what he must look like without his shirt if his arms were so strong.

"MEEP!" she muttered, ashamed at herself; her face became like a tomato. _"What a bad thought! Why am I like this? How embarrassing..."_

But slowly, carefully, she approached her "sibling." He wrapped one arm around her upper body, and stooped down to the ground. His other arm reached around the base of her knees, and then he stood. She almost cried out as she was lifted off the ground, one arm locked under her knees, the other under her back. Vash could only look in her eyes for a moment; the last of the light fading as it reflected in them. Slowly, cautiously, she lifted her arms up and wrapped them around his neck.

And he held her there, in the still country twilight, both of them speechless, the smell of sweet Alpine air enveloping them in the near dark.

Then there came a low, rumbling sound that got louder, and louder, and eventually became earsplitting.

"My God!" Switzerland yelled, and suddenly he was dashing for the cave as fast as he could.

"Brother?-!" cried Lili, more afraid now than she ever had been in her whole life.

She looked over his shoulder as he sprinted, and saw the creator of the noise. It seemed like a rushing river at first; then she realized, it was a river of snow.

There was a full scale avalanche coming towards them.

"Damn, why didn't I listen to you and check the message board!" screamed Vash. There had to have been an advisory posted there...

He reached the cave seconds before the snow roared by, sweeping trees, rocks, and everything else in its path down the mountain.

Vash could feel the rush of snow on his heels as he dashed inside of the cave. The light was completely blocked by the oncoming snow, and he could not find his way; stumbling, he tripped and was hurled towards the floor. Knowing that there may have been stalagmites on the ground that could hurt Lili, he turned his body in mid air so that he would take the fall.

His back slammed against the stone floor; his spine seized up at the shock, and the wind was knocked out of him. Thankfully there were no stalagmites to impale him; it wasn't a limestone cave.

There was total darkness in the cave, and nothing could be heard but their heavy breathing and the rumbling of snow past the cave mouth.

It seemed to last forever, but finally the avalanche subsided and there was no more noise.

Lili was shivering, both from fear and from the cold.

"Oh, God...Vash I'm scared, I'm scared!"

He was silent for a moment, gasping, as he was still in a lot of pain. But being Switzerland, it did not take him long to be practical.

"We...need to keep warm..." he wheezed, and Lili shut her eyes tightly, although it was already pitch black.

"Vash, are you hurt? You sound hurt!" she cried, trembling wildly with terror.

"Be calm, Lili. Panic is our worst enemy. Just be calm."

She took a few deep breaths.

"Okay...But are you hurt?" she persisted timidly. Vash smiled a little in the dark. "Just worry about yourself. I'm fine," he said through his teeth; he tried to hide the short raspiness of his breath from her.

"I don't want to light a fire," he chattered. "If the cave is closed off, we'll use up all our oxygen."

Lili gasped. "Vash...if the cave is closed off, then...this is bad! Did you tell anyone that we left?"

Vash bit his lip, because she was right. "I told my boss," he lied, not wanting to frighten her further.

_Nobody knew they were out there._

Switzerland was inwardly cursing himself. He was always the cautious one, the one who was prepared in any situation...this never happened to him!

_"Moron!"_ he thought. _"You should have checked the advisory board! You should have told someone where you were going!"_

Lili sniffled and he held her tight. "This is all my fault, Lili, I'm so sorry."

She shook her head. "You just wanted to get to the cabin before night...it was dangerous to be out in the dark. You couldn't know that this one time there would be an advisory," she reasoned, her body still trembling.

"She never blames me, no matter what I do."

Vash gripped her tightly and cursed himself repeatedly.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. I have heat packets with me that we can use. I'll get the flashlight and look for a way out in a minute."

Lili was glad that he could stay so calm under such a situation.

"At least you were smart enough to bring emergency supplies," she encouraged, though she was very afraid in truth.

He rummaged in the pack for the heat packets, and activated them. He pulled out a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. Her chattering was driving him crazy. "Stupid America," he cursed. "You must be freezing in that sort of dress." She agreed and rummaged in her pack for her old fur dress. No one could see in the dark, but she blushed a little as she murmured,

"Vash, I'm going to change over here...okay?"

"Oh! Oh...alright."

He buried his head in the pack, as if he had to disguise his burning cheeks, and felt for the flashlight. He heard the sound of unzipping and the dress falling to the floor; she quickly rustled and donned the new dress.

"I found the flashlight!" he called, and rushed to approach her, but then faltered.

"Ohh...are you...wearing? Um.."

She quickly interrupted. "Yes! I'm dressed, I mean..."

He laughed nervously and she did the same. The flashlight blinked on and he looked around; but before he could search the cave, he cried out. Lili looked puzzled.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Lili, your lips!"

She felt herself flushing.

"My...my lips?"

Switzerland realized her awkwardness and stumbled as he said, "They're...they're bleeding."

She raised a hand to her lips and blood stained her fingers.

"Oh! Oh... I'll be fine...must have split them on something...just check for a way out."

They were sealed in from the front; she watched with bated breath as he searched the room from front to back.

There was nothing but a minuscule hole to crawl through at the back of the cave.

Lili cried out and put a hand over her mouth.

"Vash! We're going to die in here!"

He turned to face her and tried to appear brave, though he was extremely aggravated with himself.

"Listen to me, we are not going to die!"

"Don't you see? There's no way that hole leads anywhere, and your boss isn't expecting you for three days!" she cried.

_"He isn't expecting me at all,"_ Vash thought, his heart sinking.

"We can explore through that hole, it has to lead to somewhere. But we must wait for day, so that we can see light streaming through an exit."

"If there is an exit," she said miserably.

"Lili...that attitude is not going to help you."

She sniffled and nodded, but she knew it now. They were going to die here.

_"Well if I have to die..."_ she thought with sadness, _"At least he will be with me."_

Liechtenstein clutched her knees and watched Switzerland set about making a shelter, and realized what all of this meant.

She remembered lying there in the rain, the day he found her, and wishing that she could remain a country for a little longer. And she had; all thanks to him.

_"I owe my life to him,"_ she thought, _"even if we are to die now...he helped me stay a country a little while longer."_

Her eyes traced his body as he rummaged through his pack, pored over every angle of his face; and she knew at that moment, he was everything she ever hoped for.

_"I have to tell him."_

Her heart pounded terribly and she was very afraid of his response; but she had to say something, now, before it was over. He had to know before she died.

"Vash?"

Her voice was soft, and echoed off the walls of the cave. Switzerland stopped what he was doing and turned to face her. Lili's tone and the strange look in her eyes was something he'd never experienced before; perhaps it was the dim lighting of the flashlight that made her seem eerie, but he had a feeling within himself that something was different about her.

"Yes?"

"Turn the light off."

"Aren't you afraid of the dark?"

She winced. The only things she feared were utter darkness, and thunder; because of the scars it had left on her during the depression.

"Please...there's something I have to tell you. Just...turn it off."

He wondered what it was she had to say, and shrugged.

"Okay..." he flicked the light off, and she was silent for a moment.

"What is it you need to tell me?"

His voice was clear, and it was straightforward; even now, when they were doomed to die, or so Lili thought, he was consistent.

_"He has to know how I feel...Or I won't be able to rest in peace."_

"Vash..." she tried, her voice breaking. Her knees knocked together and she shut her eyes tightly.

"What if he's repulsed? What if he dies unhappy because I freaked him out?"

Doubts began to creep in from everywhere, and she couldn't bring herself to speak.

"Lili, what's the matter? Just tell me what you have to say."

She shook her head. "I can't..." she whispered, too afraid of rejection to confess.

"Lili..."

He scooted beside her and sat down, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"What is this? You can tell me anything, you know I'll listen. You're so tense, relax..." he was genuinely concerned for her.

She trembled and still couldn't speak.

"Come on, now...If you're afraid of death, I promise, I'll protect you-" he tried.

"No."

"No?"

"That's not it."

"Then what is it, just tell me...please?"

She sighed and spit it out all at once.

"Vash...I love you!"

She waited in terror for his response, and almost cried in anguish when he sighed.

_A sigh? He's upset!_

However, before she could do anything, he said, "I know. You tell me all the time. Honestly, I think you should hate me right now for getting you into this mess..."

"No!" she cried. He was startled by her strange behavior, but furled his eyebrows.

Suddenly his heart was doing a marathon in his chest...she didn't mean...she didn't mean...

"Not like that!" she sobbed, tears of anxiety now running down her chest.

"I...I..." she tried, but his stoic stance had her paralyzed. He wasn't reacting? What could that mean?-!

"It's too late to back out now, just hurry up and say it!"

""Yousavedmefromdeath andIameternallygrateful andI'vebeeninlovewith yousinceIwasyoung!" she slurred as quickly as possible, then broke down into tears. Vash was utterly stunned at this outburst.

All this time...if I'd confessed, she would have accepted me. But she had to be the man and say something first...

He felt like smacking himself for his cowardice, but at the same time, felt far away. What a wonderful thing it was to know...

_Liechtenstein loves me._

He felt a warm sort of heat spreading all over his body.

"It's just..." she moaned in a final attempt. "You do so much for me...I couldn't help but fall in love with you. I...I'm sorry. You must hate me-"

She was slammed against his body as he embraced her tightly. Time seemed to stop as he held her in his arms; could it be? A hope gently made itself known in her breast.

He just embraced her, saying nothing for a long time. Vash was trying to gather himself, and think of the perfect thing to say.

Words could not well describe the gratitude he felt for Lili; he'd saved her from many things, his indifference, his hate, and ultimately, from himself. He'd been writing his confession as one writes a speech.

_I can't just add lib it..._

He whispered a, "Liechtenstein?" in her ear.

She just trembled with anticipation and could say nothing.

"I...I..." he tried.

There was a long silence. A very, very long silence; he said nothing for nearly a minute, and Lili thought she would die of anxiety.

Finally he opened his mouth to speak, and she braced herself for his answer.

"...I hear something."

She opened her eyes. "...? What is it?"

He let go of her and left her on the floor; she could hear the sound of his boots taking steps on the cold stone.

How can he leave me hanging like this?

"Do you hear that, Lili?"

"No..."

"Listen carefully. What do you hear?"

They paused for a long while, and gradually Liechtenstein came to hear it as well; a soft, gurgling sound, far, far away.

"Is that..." she began, and Vash finished.

"It's running water. Lili, there's a way out."

Seemingly at once, her heart elevated and plummeted; the good news was that she would live...the bad news was that now he knew how she felt. And she didn't know if was happy about it or not.

Switzerland flicked on the flashlight and disappeared down the small crevice at the back of the cave. He'd tied a piece of string to a rock, as to not get lost, and was gone for nearly five minutes.

Lili just sat, no longer petrified, but exhausted, on the cave floor.

_"I did it,"_ she thought listlessly. And he'd run off...there was no way he liked her. What a stupid idea, she should have waited till they were on death's doorstep to confess.

_"Oh...What have I done?"_

Finally she heard the sound of him climbing back through the hole.

"Come on, pack up camp," he said. "There's a way out, it leads to a spot above the river bank."

"Okay."

She silently began to pack, and he noted the near dead tired look on her face. He wanted to wait until they were in the comfort of a building with lighting and heat to tell her how he felt; he needed time to plan what exactly to say.

He felt Darth Vash surfacing, but kept him suppressed. He couldn't ruin this moment.

As an attempt to cheer her a little, he said, "I told you we wouldn't die..."

She smiled quickly, but there was no warmth to it.

_I may as well be dead if he doesn't love me...I wouldn't be able to live with him anymore, and I'd be so lonely..._

He noted her reaction with disappointment, and when she got to the hole, he commanded her to climb on his shoulders, and took the pack in his arms.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Can you hang on okay?"

She gave a small sound of confirmation, and he began to travel carefully through the maze of caverns. Lili held the flashlight and illuminated his way.

When they reached the opening, Liechtenstein could smell the scent of clean Alpine air, and was relieved. The hole was above their heads, and required them to climb up and get out.

"Lili, I'm going to hoist you through the hole, okay? Let me throw the pack up there first."

"Okay."

There was a soft thud as the supply bag landed on the snow above them; Lili was freezing as he pushed her through the opening, and she grasped the cold bank of the river with chattering teeth.

Although Vash could barely see at all now, since she was holding the flashlight, he was uncomfortably conscious of Lili's skirts as she dangled above him.

He turned away in shame.

_"You pervert!"_ he thought, flustered. _"Don't look at things like that!"_

"Vash, I need a boost!" she called.

"Oh! Um...one second."

He thought he could not be any redder as he looked up, wincing.

_"Where to grab...where to grab?"_

"Vash?"

"Hold on, I've got you! heh..."

He wound up wrapping his hands around her ankles and pushing her up. She tumbled out of the hole and was soon lying on the bank.

"Thanks!"

"No problem..."

Even in the dark, it wasn't difficult for him to climb up to the top of the opening, and pop his head out into the open. In the moonlight he could see her waiting for him, arms outstretched to assist. He lifted one hand and waved her off.

"I don't need help," he said, and she stood back.

He was dangling above the cave by his arms, but this was trivial to Switzerland. He could do almost fifty pull ups in a minute; there was no real strain on his body as he suspended himself above the cavern.

He waited a moment, then decided to make a bold move before hoisting himself up.

"Lili?"

"Yes?" she shivered.

_"I'll have to hurry, she's going to freeze if I don't."_

"C- come crouch here...by me."

She did so, and he had to again avert his eyes from her skirts.

"Lean down, I...I want to tell you something."

She was very puzzled by this, but decided to go for it.

What is he going to say? she thought in dreadful anticipation.

"Your lips are still bleeding, aren't they?" he asked, and was glad she couldn't see his face, which was wrenched in agony.

"Oh..yes, they are." What an odd question...

"Fine then," he finished, and raised one arm towards her.

_He's so strong...he can hold himself up like this with one arm!_ she thought distractedly.

He placed a hand on her cheek and she felt herself gasp as he planted a small kiss behind her ear.

She stood, paralyzed, unable to respond to this.

"Lili?" he whispered.

"Y-yes?" she could scarcely reply.

"You should move now. I don't want to knock you over."

"Oh! Ah, okay..."

And he tumbled out on the bank.

Lili just sat in awe out of him as he quickly stood and assessed the situation. Even in a ridiculous American T-shirt, he stood in alert form, eyes rapidly scanning the valley, and the moonlight highlighted his blonde locks.

Eyebrows always drawn in a line, Lili felt that he would never change; he would always be standing with a rifle, proudly upright on the Alps, with a skeptical stare and a fire in his eyes that was timeless.

There was an unspoken feeling of content between the two as Switzerland formed a plan and raised an arm to point.

"You see the village down there?"

"Yes," she replied.

"It'd be safer to find an inn down there than risk going up to the cabin...if we hurry, we can make it in less than an hour."

She shivered, knee deep in snow, but agreed.

"I want you to hold my hand," he said, taking control as he always did in his many crises. "But you should walk; I know it'll be hard in a dress, but you need to keep moving to stay warm. I'll catch you if you stumble."

For those next forty five minutes, Lili had no capability to think. The cold was so harsh, the snow so frigid, numbing her senses and her thoughts. The only source of warmth came from his hand, which had a firm, comforting grip on her. Often she slid and he would catch her, time and time again.

Vash's brain, however, was whirling with activity. He had never been good with words, but he wanted to be now.

"It's sort of cruel..." he realized. "She must be petrified right now because I didn't respond to her confession..."

But Lili had been able to reason, with a surge of hope accompanied by a wild blush, the meaning of Vash's question.

"Your lips are still bleeding, aren't they?" and then a kiss.

_"If my lips hadn't been hurt..."_ she thought, face scarlet as a beet, _"Then he might have kissed me there. That means...doesn't that mean he loves me?"_

But there was no way to tell, and she had to stay focused on hiking or she would slip.

Finally they arrived in town, and Vash checked in at the nearest motel.

They made quite a scene in the lobby; at first, the only thing they had been able to do was clutch each other tightly, desperately trying to warm their freezing bodies; the porter suggested with timidity that they stand near the hearth and they readily complied.

By the time they were warm enough, there was a soggy puddle around the two from where the ice and snow clinging to them had melted.

Had Switzerland not told the attendants that they were mascot nations, they probably would have been kicked out.

The whole check in, elevator ride, and entrance to their room was done in silence.

It was a suite with one bed and a fold up mattress from the couch; Lili stored her things, changed into a new, dry dress, and then said, "I'll take the folding mattress. Your back must be hurt, so you should sleep well..."

"No. You take the bed, I'll be out shortly," he said, taking a uniform from his bag and preparing to enter the bathroom and change.

"But Vash, you're sore, just take the bed..."

He mustered up all the courage he had, and turned to face her. His failure smile, which was extremely creepy at the moment, was plastered on his face.

"I didn't say," he began, trying desperately to keep his voice from cracking, "...that I wasn't going to take it. Now go lie down!"

With that he dashed into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

Lili dropped the bag in her hands and stood there stunned.

_"I didn't say that I wasn't going to take it..."_

She had to keep herself from hyperventilating.

_"Oh God...That can only mean..."_ she shook her head in terror and confusion. Not knowing what else to do, she climbed under the covers, shaking all the way.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, she heard the lock unclick. She shut her eyes as she heard his footsteps softly come towards her, closer and closer...and then pass her.

She opened one eye cautiously. He was buttoning his uniform on, staring out the window. He gazed at the moon, which lit up the little Swiss village, and took several deep breaths before speaking.

"I've had a difficult life, Lili."

She said nothing, but thought to herself that he was right.

"I learned very young the true nature of people. The death of mother...the loss of Alessandra...I'd nearly given up on people when Roderich came."

She listened in silence, wondering what he was leading up to.

"When he went...everything went. I had no belief in people anymore. They were stupid, selfish creatures, who cared for nothing but themselves."

He sounded angry and flustered, just as he always did when he was embarrased.

"So I shut myself up in these Alps and just became hostile towards everything."

She was fascinated as he gripped the curtains in painful remembrance.

"I was feeling rather strange when I was walking in the rain that day. In truth, I was scavenging for extra food...and then I saw you, sitting there."

He shook his head.

"I don't know what I was thinking...I could barely feed myself, honestly, and my boss told me to destroy you from the start. I'd never cared about anything, really...except for Roderich. And he'd destroyed my last hope. So I don't really know why I took you in."

She clutched the sheets in her tiny palms, smarting at his words.

"I just felt I couldn't leave you there, I guess. But to be honest...at first, I hated you."

Lili felt as if an anvil had fallen on her head.

He...hates...me...

"I felt like you were going to betray me at every turn, that you'd spurn the man who took you in. But slowly...over time..."

He swallowed painfully as the memories returned. "You won me over. You were so...compassionate, so understanding, so loving towards me...unconditionally."

He turned to face her as she lay in bed, eyes timid, seemingly childlike.

"Her eyes are no different since the day we met," he thought. They were always clinging to his words, like a frightened child to its mother. She lived for what he said, believed what he told her, listened to his every command.

"If you hadn't come, I don't know what I would have been."

He sat on the bedside, hands folded in his lap, gaze fixated on the floor.

"Probably bitter. Alone. Always hating, always regretting..." he trailed, warming up to what was to come.

He paused for a moment, and sighed. For some reason, nervousness did not rise up in him now. He felt at peace; Lili loved him, and he was completing his vow. It seemed that in this moment, there was only the two of them; the rest of the outside world could not matter, and the moon seemed to smile upon them as it sent beams of light through the window.

"I love you, Lili."

There was a beautiful sort of silence between them for a moment.

She lay motionless as he turned to meet her gaze. He held it there, his eyes never leaving hers, as he laid down gently upon the sheets, coming to rest beside her.

"It took me a long time to realize what you mean to me..." he whispered, pausing a moment to take her hand, "...but now..." Her eyes were like glass.

"...I don't ever want to lose you."

Lili closed her eyes and breathed in the air; she wanted to capture this moment for the rest of her life. It was so perfect, like a dream, and she resisted the urge to pinch herself.

_If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up._

He took her in his arms gently, and swayed from side to side, so glad that he finally could hold her like this.

I've been waiting for so long...

There was a tiny sliver of fear in him; he'd tell her the truth, that his boss had commanded him to marry her, but within due time. He would enjoy the moment for now; he loved Lili, and she loved him. Nothing could be better than this.

He filled her senses, the look in his eyes, the sound of his breathing; the feel of his body, pressed against hers, his touch on her arm, and the feel of his fingers gently running through her hair...

He felt her lip with his thumb and she winced.

"I really wish..." he began, but closed his mouth. He simply placed a kiss on her forehead and rocked her gently, back and forth, like a small child, humming faintly until she was fast asleep.

When he was sure she was out, he quietly rose and smiled at her. The stars twinkled faintly, and the light through the window illuminated her tiny face. She was breathing softly, gently snoring, and he filled with pride.

_She's mine now._

...

Switzerland sighed as he drank his tea, and Hungary lent a sympathetic ear.

"Well," she muttered, not knowing where to begin, "that was quite a story."

He looked down in embarrassment.

Despite the unexpected confessions yesterday, and the quiet reflection they'd shared at her favorite place, the lake where they'd taken their first picnic, Switzerland was beside himself in guilt.

As Lili had embraced him in the night, she'd whispered in his ear, "I love you Switzy."

He had said the same. But then she followed with,

"I don't know why you do. But that is why love you."

He had stepped back, puzzled.

"What do you mean?" he had asked.

"I mean you love me for no reason. You kept me for no reason. You spend a lot of money protecting me, and yet you still love me; you aren't after me because I'm rich, like the other countries..." she said softly.

Vash's heart had nearly stopped.

"You loved me when I had no money. And you love me even though you aren't forced too. That's why I am so grateful, Vash."

Well that ruined his sleep. They'd returned to his house at daybreak at the news that Gilbert had been captured, but still exhausted from their journey, Lili had plopped on the couch, still wrapped in his arms, and fallen fast asleep. He, however, possessed by a new fear, hadn't slept a wink. Having no means of escape from his guilty conscience, he somehow found himself on Hungary's couch. Lili had seemed worried at his sudden departure, but there was nothing else he could do. He hadn't really thought about it much, but the only reason the boss wanted him to marry Lili was to get his hands on her money. Though Vash couldn't care less about the cash, he did realize that it was the point of the marriage, and now he could barely face Liechtenstein.

"You have to tell her the truth," said Hungary. "There's no getting around it."

"I know," he said sheepishly. "But what if she hates me for it?"

"Zwingli," she said. "Look me in the eye and tell me honestly; do you really love Lili?"

He nearly spit out his tea. "W-wh...what kind of a question is that?-! Of course I love her! Heh...heh..."

Hungary did not look convinced. "If this had never happened, do you think you'd ever want to marry Ms. Liechtenstein?"

He looked down at his knees. "I've asked myself that question. And quite honestly...I don't think I would have ever riled up the courage to ask. But yes. I would have fallen in love with her eventually."

Hungary paused, then gave a sigh.

"You're not going to want to hear what I have to say, Zwingli."

"Say it."

She shook her head.

"Okay...but I warned you. Maybe...maybe you need to let her go."

He looked at her like she was crazy. "What?-!"

"If you really love her you should give her the time she needs. You can still marry her, but...wait, till after the week is up and she's gone. So that she'll never think you married her for her money and there can be no suspicion."

He shook his head.

"If I let her go...Prussia might attack her. And..." he put his head in his hands. "I can barely approach her now, when she lives in my house with me. How am I supposed to court her when we're apart?"

He looked as if he was in terrible pain.

"I don't want to spend my whole life a loner, Hungary. I can be neutral and indifferent to the whole rest of the world...but not to her. And I'm losing her."

He ran his fingers through his hair, and Hungary was very sad for him. She pat a hand on his shoulder.

"I guess you really do love her, then. I think if you tell her the truth, she'll understand. I have never known a person who could be so unconditional towards anyone."

He still appeared forlorn.

"How can I tell her, Hungary? How can I bring myself to say it? She'll hate me."

"I doubt it. And she'd hate you even more if she finds out the truth from someone besides you."

He clasped his hands and sighed. "I suppose you're right."

"Okay. Now go home and spend time with her, alright? Confess, tell her the truth; but the longer you procrastinate, the harder it will be, okay? So don't wait too long!"

He tried to smile and rose. "Thank you, Elizaveta."

"No problem Zwingli."

She remembered something just as he reached the door.

"Oh, Zwingli!"

"Yes?"

"Can I see the ring?"

He sighed. "What is it with women and diamonds?"

...

* * *

><p>Liechtenstein was troubled beyond belief as she waited for Vash. Why had he left so suddenly like that?<p>

"I'm so sad, Amoperu," she said to her new dog. He whined a little and sat on her lap.

"Vash doesn't trust me with whatever is bothering him."

She hugged the small mammal tightly and tried not to cry.

"I know it's killing him inside, and he won't tell me! I feel so useless...He gives me so much and I can't even help him when he's troubled. He says he loves me, but...I don't know."

The dog licked her cheek sympathetically. Suddenly the empty house appeared to be torturing her with its silence, and she couldn't stand it any longer.

She retrieved a piece of notebook paper and wrote in her neat cursive, "Went out for a short walk. I'll be back soon."

"Come on, Amoperu," she said, and tugged the dog on its leash. She stopped at the door.

"Oh, this collar must hurt your neck! Here, I'll carry you, poor thing."

She put the leash in her pocket and carried the fluffy bundle down the road to the market.

"There are people there, so if something happens, I'll be in public and there will be people to help."

Switzerland's teachings of safety were prominent in her mind. His "Civilian Self Defense," manual was some serious stuff.

She took in the sights and smells of the place, blending in with the background. The Swiss people were selling chocolate and mountain gear; nothing unusual. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw who it was.

"Oh! Mr. Prussia!"

Gilbert smiled crookedly. "Hello, Lili."

"I...I have a gun!" she fumbled, and Amoperu hopped to the ground. He growled at Prussia as menacingly as a white fluffy dog the size of a teacup could.

"Cute dog," muttered Gilbert, though his upper lip curled in disgust at the creature.

"P-Please, Vash told me I shouldn't talk to you."

"Vash, is he now? Hah! The man's more of a bastard than I thought, breaking your poor heart like this."

"Huh? What're you talking about?-!"

Gilbert put one arm over her shoulder, and she cringed at his touch.

"Oh, he didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?-! St-Stay away, I'll scream!"

"He didn't tell you what's going on at work?" he said.

Lili froze. "You...you know what's bothering him?"

"Well of course. I can't believe he hid the truth from you."

"Switzy never lies to me," she said softly, afraid and confused.

Gilbert sighed. "I wish that were true. But unfortunately, it seems that Zwingli's boss has gotten tired of sustaining you."

"What?-!"

"Apparently you cost too much to maintain."

"Oh! Oh...Oh I knew I was a burden on him, I should pack my bags and go so I'm not any more trouble-"

"Not so fast. The boss had a command for Switzerland."

"What?"

"He said that Zwingli has to marry you as quickly as possible so that they can use your treasury."

Liechtenstein could barely comprehend what he had just said.

The flowers...the puppy...the dates they'd had...the awkwardness...it couldn't be possible, could it? The week off work...could Vash...

Suddenly she shook her head and was ashamed of herself. How could she doubt him?-! She even started to hate herself. How could she doubt her beloved Vash, the man who'd given up everything for her, who'd taken her in and given her a home when he had no food for himself?-! The man who claimed he loved her... How dare she doubt him...He'd never use her like that!

She screamed and aimed the gun directly at Gilbert's foot. There was no hesitation as she fired.

Prussia screamed in agony as he clenched his foot, and it took all his strength to keep from screaming, "WHAT'D YOU DO THAT FOR, YOU LITTLE B****?-!"

She was going to pay for that.

"Vash would NEVER marry me for my money, and you're a very, VERY bad man, Mr. Prussia!"

She could barely contain her rage, and Amoperu yipped in Gilbert's face.

"Come on, Amoperu."

They hurried along the path to home.

The boss stepped out from behind a plant.

"Well that went well."

"Shut up!" muttered Gilbert through clenched teeth. "She's gonna pay for that, little bitch. And when Zwingli proposes she'll figure it out. If it doesn't work out we'll just have to kidnap her, but I'd rather have her sign the contract by her own will."

"Make her feel betrayed by him?"

"Exactly. Now get me an ambulance you moron."

"Right away, sir."

(The following is an experiment of mine. I'm not sure if you'll like it or not; I think this is the best way to keep the story moving along, but if you absolutely HATE the way I wrote the following passage and wanted it to be cuter and less rushed, review and I'll consider dashing it.

IDK. We'll see.)

Lili was still fuming as she walked through the door. She came in to see Switzerland busily donning his coat with a gun slung over his shoulder; her note was crumpled in his hand. Upon seeing her he dropped the rifle to the ground with a clang.

"Lili!" he embraced her as tightly as he could, catching her completely off guard.

"V-Vash?"

"Don't ever do that to me again! I just got word that Gilbert escaped, I was scared to death...Oh, Lili, don't do that!" He tucked her note in her gloved hand.

She was taken aback at his passion, and Amoperu yelped. He'd been in her arms and was now sandwiched between Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

"Oops. Sorry, puppy," said Vash apologetically. He looked very flustered now; but he was just so relieved. Lili sighed.

"Don't worry, I already took care of him."

"WHAT?"

She raised her tiny silver pistol which he'd taught her how to use with care.

"You ran into Prussia?-!" Switzerland exclaimed, unable to believe it. Why had she been so stupid and gone out without him?

"Yes-"

"Did he hurt you?" Vash interrupted, almost growling. He gripped her shoulders firmly and spoke menacingly.

"Did he even lay a finger on you?-! I swear to God, I'd he even touched you-" here be picked up his gun, "-if he did, I'll go out and finish him once and for all!"

"Switzy!" Lili blurted. "It's okay, don't go declare war on him! You haven't done that in centuries! Besides, he's probably out of Switzerland by now..."

He shook his head. "Doesn't matter, I'd still kill him. What happened, did he do anything to you?-!"

She'd never seen him so passionately angry. And here he was, saying he'd declare war on another country? When that country wasn't on his soil? She felt like she was facing a whole other person...

"No, I shot him in the foot because he was slandering you."

"Lili, I'm so disappointed in you!"

She looked confused. She'd thought he'd be happy she'd defended herself...

"...You should have shot him in the heart and killed him!"

He put the gun down again and embraced her tightly.

"You gave me a heart attack." The next statement gushed out of him unexpectedly. "I'll never let you out of my sight again!"

Her eyes shot open. "Vash...?" He was being so protective of her, so worried about her...she pondered what he would have done if she had packed her bags and left that one day. He'd told her he cared, but there was always a doubt in her mind...a doubt that he might think of her as a burden and want her to leave. But now, his eyes were lit with a kind of light she'd never seen before.

She said in a voice barely above a whisper, "You...you really care that much?"

"What kind of a dumb question is that? Of course! What did he do?-!"

"P-please...he only put his arm on my shoulder-"

"WHAT?"

What was this? Why was he growing so angry? Lili was very worried. The only emotions Switzy ever showed were embarrassment and slight anger or irritation; once in a while he would be a little bit happy; but this...who was this new man standing in front of her, ranting with a look that was beyond anger?

Vash almost felt like bursting into a rage of emotion-filled insanity. He was so worried, so in love, so angry, so passionate.

Yes, passionate was the word.

He'd completely lost all control over his temper and his composure.

All his life he'd tried to be a loner; he'd learned that all the nations of the earth were squabbling idiots who couldn't be trusted. Austria had proven his care could go to waste, that even the ones you loved could betray you. So he'd hated everyone and everything, trusting only money, the one constant in his life. Until she came. He was losing Lili now, losing the person who'd changed his perspective on the world, shown that humanity wasn't hopeless; that there was good and love and beauty in some people. He was no longer neutral about everything, no longer indifferent.

He found his thunderstorm of emotion unleashing and pushing him to the brink; the stress of all of this was too much.

And with that, Darth Vash was unleashed. He felt as if a red film covered his eyes, rage and love flying out at random.

"Oh, what the hell!" he thought, all common sense thrown away. All the scheduling, the planning, the dinners, the opera house, the mountain climbs, the picnics...it was all gone in an instant.

Vash Zwingli was in a passionate rage. He'd only been that way twice before.

And when he's like that, there's no stopping him.

He started screaming at Lili at the top of his lungs; he hazily thought Austria...but pushed the notion away almost at the same time it began.

"How can you not see?-! How can you be so blind to how much I care?-!" he said, eyes nearly red. Lili stood in paralyzed shock. She'd never seen him so emotional in all their years of living together.

"I love you, Lili Stein! Don't you see that?"

"Yes-"

"No, you don't! I love you more than anything else! In fact, I DON'T love anything at all, I've only loved money and look where that left me! You are the ONLY thing in my life that I love!" he yelled, gripping her hand with a deathly clamp.

"Vash-"

She was starting to cry, but was unbelievably shocked to find that he was crying as well.

She'd never seen Switzy cry. She didn't know he was capable of producing tears.

"I love you and you are so blind to it!" he sobbed, his leather gloves leaving an imprint in her skin.

She could barely manage to choke, "V-Vash?" with her heart racing a million miles per hour.

"I LOVE YOU LIECHTENSTEIN...and..."

Suddenly he was on his knees...time slowed in that moment for Liechtenstien.

He was falling, legs wobbly and crooked, head bent in woe, one hand gripping hers, the other fumbling in his pocket. It yanked roughly on something within its seams and the fabric ripped as he produced a tiny box, and flipped it open with his thumb.

She remembered it for the rest of her life; the glint of a diamond, the iron grip on her hand, and his passionate scream which betrayed his true personality; an entity that rarely showed itself in the stoic face of Switzerland.

"I WANT YOU TO BE MY WIFE!"

.

..

...

...

Liechtenstein - 0_0

...

...

...

...

...

.

And, reality check. D8

"OH, SHIT."

Switzerland almost grabbed the gun and shot himself.

Austria called this side of him "Darth Vash," the very secluded side of himself that came out in a fury of emotion when he was extremely stressed. That side of him had no common sense.

"What have I done?" he wanted to scream.

He backed against the door, humiliated, and covered his face with his hands.

"Oh..." he whispered, voice faltering. "Oh, God...Lili I'm sorry..."

He turned away in shame.

_That was supposed to be special, something nice I planned for her...I ruined it!_

Instead he'd screamed at her and was nearly passed out on the floor, with the puppy scratching at her leg and the ring box thrust out in front of her, his kneel very crooked. He was sitting in a dusty foyer with his coat on; no flowers, no nothing.

He'd killed it.

"Y-Yes."

He was snapped out of his misery.

"Huh?"

"Ye-Yes!" She was crying in sheer joy. "Oh...Oh Vash, I never thought...You said you loved me, but I never thought you cared that much! I...I would love to be your wife."

_Wh-what?_

"I fell in love with you years ago but I never realized...Oh, Vash, I'm so happy!"

She embraced him with all her might, Amoperu barking happily.

He was shocked at what he had heard, and couldn't believe this was actually happening...it was becoming reality so fast.

Slowly he came to realize that he'd done it.

_Lili was going to marry him._

_Marry him._

_Marry him._

...Absorb...

A strange feeling of happiness began to consume him, a wonderful emotion he rarely got to experience.

"You're right; I should have shot Prussia for what he said...He realized you loved me and tried to use it to turn me against you! He was so wrong! Oh, Vash I'm so happy!" she gushed.

_Alarm Bell._

"Wait-What did he say?"

"Never mind what that awful man said. We're getting married, I'm so happy!"

"But-"

"Wait!" she said, pausing a moment. "I just realized something."

"Say, Lili, want to get off the floor?" he said sheepishly. This was uncomfortable. She laughed and agreed. They quickly moved to the couch, hand in hand.

"I just realized," she continued quickly, "that I've never kissed you before."

He turned a deep shade of red, but managed to mutter, "Um..th...eh...uh...sigh."

Okay, he managed to say nothing. His eyes were like that of a nervous schoolboy with his first love.

Then he realized...she was his first love. And he hers, as far as he knew. They were indeed living an otherworldly fairytale; he would now be marrying the Austrian Princess. She smiled nervously as his fingers reached out, cautiously seeking her hand. Shaking, he took the ring from the box. Noticing it was hard to grip, he put it back in the box and removed his gloves; then, delicately, he took her hand, which was still clutching the note she'd written. She released her grip on the paper.

He removed her white outing glove from one hand; indeed, her hand was a beautiful, pale white, flawless as the paper itself.

He then picked up the token again, and slowly slid it onto her ring finger, which trembled with anticipation.

As gracefully as he could (not very) took her in his arms, closed his eyes, and felt for those cherry red lips.

"Wait!" she exclaimed, and pushed him away. He was startled.

"I...I'm sorry but...I want us to wait. Until the altar. Our first kiss will seal us in marriage...I think that'd be cute, don't you? Besides, my lip is still split..."

He barely comprehended her words. "Now would be nice..." he thought, romance lost on his head, but then remembered that awful vision he'd had yesterday morning when Lili was in bed...and that dream...he shuddered.

"Easy Vash. Be chivalrous."

He tried to recenter himself, not wanting to be lewd in his thoughts towards the precious Liechtenstein.

"Lili...I hate to ruin the moment, but...what did Prussia say?"

Her smile faded.

"What he said should never be repeated, it was awful!"

"Still," he persisted, "What did he say? For security reasons, Lili. I won't have him hurting you."

She sighed.

"He was terrible. He said that you...that you wanted to marry me because your boss made you so that you could use my money. The idea!"

Everything stopped.

Switzerland's heart, which should have been soaring, dropped to the pit of his stomach.

_"Oh no."_ This was bad. _"How did he find out, that sneaky bas-"_

"Can you believe anybody could say such a thing?" she demanded, her petite form scrunched up in anger.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

His heart was so loud he wouldn't have been surprised if she could hear it.

He remembered Hungary's words...

"..the longer you procrastinate, the harder it will be...You have to tell her the truth, there's no getting around it."

"No, what a jerk! I would never do that, how could he say that?-!" said Switzerland.

_"Oh, man." Epic failure number three._

He felt sick as Liechtenstein embraced her new fiancée, and realized that Elizaveta was going to kill him.

...

...

Roderich hummed as he walked towards the door. He was composing a new song for Hungary, since he didn't really say much to her.

I WILL NOW DEMONSTRATE MY ANGER AND UTTER DISGUST WITH YOU BY PLAYING THE PIANO. (Anyone remember that?)

Yes, Roderich conveyed all emotion via piano. And he did love Hungary, so he took extra care with the song. _I will now demonstrate my love for you by playing the piano..._

He slowly opened the door, whistling the tune to himself, and was tackled by an overjoyed Liechtenstein.

"IT'S WONDERFUL!"

The wind went out of him and you could almost see the question mark forming over his head. Lili furled her eyebrows as she felt the fabric...soft, but there was a stitch on her cheek. Was that a patch? She looked up and saw a confused look through a pair of glasses.

"Oh!" exclaimed Lili, pushing herself away.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Austria!" she said quickly, bowing profusely, her face as red as a tomato. "It's just...usually Mrs. Austro-Hungary answers the door..."

He waved a hand. "It's all right. I assume from the uBer flow of emotion that Switzy said something nice to you?"

Lili was slightly taken aback.

Switzy?

Apart from herself, Liechtenstein had never heard anyone call Vash, "Switzy." Usually it was, "Mr. Switzerland," or sometimes "Zwingli, " but never "Switzy."

"_That's right,"_ she remembered. "_He lived with Vash too, a long time ago."_

He spoke of Austria with pain, regret, and anger, so it had never really dawned on Lili that they could have ever been close.

"Y-yes," she said hesitatingly. Still flustered, she managed to smile, "It's wonderful, Mr. Austria. We're...We're going to be married."

Austria nearly choked.

"I can't believe it! That bastard actually got her to marry him!"

He closed his eyes for a moment. "Probably for the money," he thought.

But then he remembered Vash holding Lili's hand at the market; the worried look on his face when he couldn't find a gift for her...Austria smiled. So even Vash had succumbed to his own warning.

_"I don't like what you're doing with Hungary!" he'd shouted, face scrunched up in annoyance as always._

_Roderich sighed. "I can't help myself, Switzy."_

_"Don't call me that. And I don't know what to do with you! You're constantly being awkward, not thinking straight, bring stressed over nothing...and more so than usual!"_

_Austria shrugged. "Someday when you fall in love, you'll understand."_

_Switzerland turned around with a vicious look._

_"I'll never fall in love, you hear me? And I'll never take a wife, not unless I gain something political by it! And even then...I like being alone."_

_Roderich nodded. "I can see that."_

Austria smiled. _"It happens to the best of us, Zwingli."_

"Is that so?" he said. "Well, I'm very happy for you. One moment, please."

He leaned inside of the house.

"Elizaveta! You have a visitor!" he called, and patted Liechtenstein on the head.

"Have fun. I must go now."

"Okay!" said a beaming Lili. "Thanks a lot, Mr. Austria!"

He nodded and headed to a storage shed outside in the yard.

_"Where did I put it...here it is."_ He retrieved the white flag Italy had given him with "I surrender, Austria," written on it.

He then returned to the front of the house and saw Hungary embracing little Lili, crying tears of joy for her friend.

"Elizaveta would cry over a marriage."

Lili saw him and waved; he smiled, raised a hand, then walked down to the street. As soon as he was out of their sight, his smile dissolved and he shook his head.

_"She has no idea."_

...

* * *

><p>Nekotalia playfully pawed a stringy line emerging from the ground. It was a yellow line, and it looked awfully appetizing...<p>

"Pasta?" he mewed cautiously, and chomped on the wire.

"MRRRRRRRERRR!" he screamed, electricity sparkling all over his body, making his fur stand up.

Soon NekoGermany had arrived.

"Nekotalia! Tell me you didn't bite that telephone wire!"

The other cat merely nodded in agony. NekoGermany sighed.

"Then we must get out of here, quickly! You've ruined Master Switzerland's telephone, he'll shoot us if he finds out."

"VEHHHHH!" Nekotalia whined. "All I wanted was pasta..."

And with that, they scampered off.

...

* * *

><p><strong>(Sorry about horribly OOC Austria!)<strong>

Switzerland debated heavily on whether or not to pull the trigger. Austria had arrived, waving a white flag over his head with one hand and raising the other hand equally.

_"Don't ever come back or I'll shoot you like everyone else."_

His fingers twitched indecisively.

"Sigh..." He lowered the gun.

Austria ascended the porch steps. "I come in peace."

"What do you want?" Switzerland muttered.

"To congratulate you on your marriage."

Vash turned away. "Seriously, why did you come?" Switzerland's heart was in the pit of his stomach. He should have been rejoicing that Lili loved him and was really going to be his wife; but instead, he was living in agonized fear that she would find out, find out the truth and hate him for it.

"I knew there was some compassion in that stingy head of yours. That you had some heart."

Switzerland was taken aback. He slowly turned to face the other nation.

"What...?"

He tried not to think back to their time together, but it had never really gone away entirely from his mind. Always, there was the imprint Roderich had left on Vash. Sometimes he'd find old clothes he had patched, or an old recipe he'd created...always, there was some memory of him.

And now he was standing in what had once been his home, back for the first time in years.

Austria pushed his glasses higher up on his nose.

"You didn't tell her, did you?"

"What?" asked Vash defensively.

"Don't play innocent. Hungary told me everything."

"Elizavetaaaa..." Switzerland whined. Austria couldn't help but bristle a little. He remembered that Hungary told him once, a long time ago, that Vash was her first love. He was so stoic, so regal, so..."cool." It felt weird to hear his former friend call her by name.

"Well, she is my wife you know. You can't blame her."

Switzerland sighed and sat on the staircase step.

"What am I going to do, Austria?" he put his head in his hands.

Roderich was surprised by this.

"I can't tell her the truth, not now."

"Why? Elizaveta said you were going to, and that you'd accepted the fact."

Vash shook his head and frowned. "It's all Prussia's fault."

Austria raised an eyebrow.

"Gilbert? What does he have to do with this?"

Switzerland sighed. "He told Lili what my boss said...and after I proposed to her, she started calling him a bad person for 'slandering' me, and saying that I was too good to do such a thing as marry her because I had to."

"Ouch."

Vash buried his head in his hands again. "I can't tell her, she'll never marry me if I do."

Austria couldn't help but snicker. "Says the man who would never fall in love."

"Get off my property."

"Relax." Austria took a seat beside the troubled nation. "How did you even manage to propose? Did Darth Vash come out to play?"

Switzerland glared at him. "How did you know that? Did Lili tell you?"

Roderich shook his head. "I know you better than you think."

Switzerland sighed. "I just can't. I can't bear to think of the look on her face..."

Roderich folded his arms and leaned back, closing his eyes. "Since when do you run away from trouble?"

Vash sighed and looked at the floor. "My whole life. Eternally Neutral."

Austria shook his head. "That's not running away, that's keeping your ground and refusing to leave. That's different; you don't run away, it's not your nature."

He had an icy stare as he looked out the window.

"And when you don't like something...or someone...you tell them to leave. At gunpoint."

Vash could find nothing to say to his former housemate.

"Why do you run away, Switzerland?"

It was nearly a full minute before Vash could think of an appropriate answer. "I don't trust anyone, you know that, yes?"

"Of course."

"I thought...that people weren't reliable, that the only thing in their nature was to quibble over power...so I secluded myself. Became bitter, I guess. And then she came...I don't know why I helped her, it's bothered me ever since, but then slowly, over time...she grew on me. I realized there is good in some people...I don't know, I just can't bear...eh..." Vash shook his head and gave up trying to explain his feelings. He'd never been good at that.

Roderich closed his eyes and nodded in silent recognition. He knew it; as far as political power went, whether political power mattered or not, Lili was Vash's only weakness.

Austria put a hand on his shoulder again. But this time Switzerland wasn't repulsed by it. He began to speak very formally, and his voice sounded far away; Vash had never heard Roderich speak like that before.

"You must tell her or there will be dishonesty in your marriage. Sometimes...sometimes we have to say horrible things to our wives. And no matter the pain, we must obey the bosses-"

"What're you talking about?-!" exclaimed Switzerland. "You've never known what this was like! You've never seen hardship like I have!"

That damn aristocrat hadn't been to hell and back like Vash, who was always working, always scraping for money, food, security...

Austria closed his eyes. "Perhaps not...but...Elizaveta..." he swallowed painfully, and Vash noticed. Austria showed a look of sadness. That was uncommon for Roderich; he was normally so... sarcastic, so cynical. Nothing really upset him too much. Switzerland softened slightly and said, "What is it?"

Austria shook his head.

"My boss. He said..."

Vash's eyes widened. "He didn't tell you to divorce her, did he? There were rumors, but..."

Roderich sighed and said silently, "I am to marry Spain."

Vash's eye twitched. "Thaaaat sucks."

Austria nodded. "And...the Austro-Hungarian empire must be split."

Vash suddenly remembered all the years with Austria...him being beaten by Hungary...their shock when they found she was a woman...the first flower, hug, kiss, the news of their marriage...he'd sat awkwardly at the back of the chapel, while all the other nations watched their vows being said.

"Does...she know?"

Austria shook his head yet again. "No. I have to tell her very soon."

Vash was at a loss for meaningful words. He automatically replied. "I...I'm sorry."

Austria looked at him thoughtfully. "Be thankful that your boss commanded you to marry the one you love. I...I will miss Elizaveta terribly."

He took his glasses off and began to clean them with the fabric of his shirt.

"I love her very much; but our time together is short. I hope you realize how much you have."

He breathed on the lenses and continued to wipe.

"Just tell her, Zwingli. The sooner, the better."

He placed the frames back on his face, and rose.

"I wish you well in your marriage...Switzy."

Vash looked at the floor.

"I'll tell her when she gets home."

Austria smiled and closed his eyes. "Don't worry. The girl adores you; it will take more than that to shake her. "

He took his flag and opened the door, leaving Switzerland on the stairs. "Goodbye...Friend."

"Roderich?"

Austria paused. "Yes?"

"Will you be the best man at our wedding?"

.

* * *

><p>..<p>

Roderich returned to an open gate. He saw Lili descending his porch and saying goodbye to Mrs. Austro-Hungary, and smiling at him as he passed her on the walk to his home.

He then heard her shriek and turned around sharply.

It was Gilbert.

"Stay away from me, you fiend!" she shouted, and Gilbert backed away.

"You stay away from me, crazy bit-eh, woman!"

She ran down the street and bolted towards the safety of her fiancée's house.

Roderich joined his wife on the porch and laced his fingers through hers. She gave him a questioning look. Despite the fact that they were married, he almost never showed any sign of affection towards her, and it was kind of annoying.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Austria?" she asked.

He looked terribly sad, and gripped her hand tightly. "We'll talk after Gilbert is gone."

"Oh...Alright," she said, slightly confused.

Gilbert hobbled up the steps with his crutch, still mumbling. "Crazy, psychotic little..."

Austria frowned. "What do you want, Prussia?"

"Hmph. I just wanted to chat." He'd heard rumors that Hungary was divorcing her husband and wanted to know if that was true... Prussia swallowed. He was to marry Liechtenstein, but if Hungary was finally separating from that Austrian bastard, then maybe...

"Why was she so happy anyway?" he muttered, scratching behind his ear. Hungary smiled, though she was a bit worried. "They're going to be married."

Prussia's eyes shot open, wide.

"Who?-!"

"Who do you think? Vash and Lili," she said.

He shook his head, then smiled mischievously. Suddenly Austria put the pieces together and raised a hand to his mouth.

"Poor thing, I know he didn't tell her..."said Hungary.

"Tell her what?" asked Prussia, a crooked smile appearing on his face.

"Elizaveta," Roderich whispered, but she didn't seem to hear.

"Just between us, Gilbert, Switzerland's boss told him he had to marry her or evict her, and he loves the girl too much to let her go. Isn't that remarkable?"

Gilbert laughed. "I never would have guessed."

Austria tapped her and muttered, "Hungary!"

He had gotten her attention, and she was confused. "Roderich...?"

It was too late.

Prussia was already running out as fast as he could on crutches, and Austria ran after. "Stop him!" he cried. "Somebody stop him!" The aristocrat gave up very quickly. Prussia would surely kick his butt even crippled, and Hungary couldn't find her frying pan quickly enough.

"This is not good," said Roderich, panting.

"What's the matter, Mr. Austria?"

"I understand now. Prussia was trying to split them apart so that he can have Liechtenstein for himself."

"Gilbert?" Hungary exclaimed in disbelief. "But...he wouldn't!"

"There's no time to explain. Switzerland has to tell Lili before Gilbert does or it's over."

Elizaveta gasped as she realized what that would mean.

"I have to find my frying pan!" she cried, and Roderich rushed for the phone.

He waited a few moments and was shocked.

Line disconnected?

"Come on, Elizaveta!"

"I'm coming!"

They rushed as quickly as the could to Vash's home.

...

* * *

><p><strong>(Yeaahhh Austria was HORRENDOUSLY OOC in this, I apologize. And like I said, I haven't read or seen much about Prussia so I don't know if he's OOC or not. Also: I realize that the proposal was like WOAH WHERE DID THAT COME FROM...The truth is I have bigger plans for this story. It's going go beyond the altar, and by that I mean there is going to be some serious conflict. The romance is not the ENTIRE plot, though it is a large part of it. I predict about 4-5 more chapters for this story...of course most of my chapters are reaaaallly long. Here is a new summary for the rest of the story;<strong>

**Prussia causes trouble for our couple, causing them to be split for a short amount of time. When they are finally reunited, an outside force calls an attack on Earth, a planet that they deem is conglomeration of squabbling nations. Noting Switzerland's indifference to the others and neutrality towards stupid conflict, they respect him and spare his life. Will Lili convince Swiss to save the other nations? And if she does, can the two of them together restore the earth...especially when Lili announces something that will change their lives forever?**

OH: AND TO ALL YOU PEOPLES YOU READ THIS, THANK YOU! I really appreciate the support!

But you know what you could do to make me uBerhappy? A nice reward for 18,000 words of labor?

A review!

If you are too lazy to type out your own, just copy and paste one of these standard reviews below:

1. This story is so cute and fluffy it is amazing I love you.

2. YOU FREAKING SUCK STUPID CLIFFHANGER!

3. Extremely OOC what is wrong with you.

4 ...Wait, this is a heterosexual story? In Hetalia? *mumbles to self*

5. INCEST!

6. That took me over an hour to read...

**FUN CONTEST QUESTION:**

Which is a better theme song for these two? Thanks to Catsdon'tcry for telling me option #2, I think it fits perfectly...if you haven't heard these songs, youtube em' and tell me which you think is a better theme song:

**Maroon 5: She Will Be Loved**

(ya know...I don't mind spending every day...out on your corner in the pouring rain...look for the girl with a broken smile...Ask her if she wants to stay a while...And she will be loved.

I thought that fit...)

**Kagamine Rin:I like you I love you**

It's in Japanese so it may be more appropriate...but the lyrics to this SO fit *don't worry there are subs*

Vote and I'll announce the results next chapter.

Well that burned me out. Don't expect an update in under five days, though if I'm in a really strange mood, I may...

REVIEW!

\/


	5. Aliens glowsticks, and flower girls

(OMG I AM SOOO SORRY! I promised an update forever ago! Well my dad took away my ipod and I can't use my laptop to update (complicated story). -_- So...my friend is updating this for me, I mailed it to her and she uploaded it. I can't get the net back (to update) until school starts and I can't keep bothering my friend so updates will be rare but I WILL finish this story!

Doesn't matter anyway cause this is another 14,000 word chapter. (Get. a. snack.)

Sorry for previous OOC moments. As for Prussia being villainous...I tried to lighten him up a bit but it's really too late to change his character, so he is a OOC. I just finished reading the second volume of the manga, now I get his character a little more but I still haven't seen a lot of him.

Few announcements;

Did you watch the Hetalia movie, "Paint it White?" If you didn't a lot of this will not make sense...

I feel a little strange now. One of my...well not friends, but acquaintances? We sailed at the same Yacht (and I mean tiny two person dinghy not ridiculously big boat) club and went to church together...

She capsized her boat, got stuck, and drowned. She was only 14 years old. So now...IDK, I feel, not sad, but strange...we didn't know each other very well but I feel almost scared cause it could have been me, and I haven't been living life to the fullest...so yeah anyways, if I don't update as regularly, that's why. I just feel weird.

Inside Star Trek/Star Wars jokes inclosed.

S'all I gotta say.

"Broade Velka."

The handmaiden bowed to her mistress.

"Well, did they get it or not?" asked the Broade.

"Yes, mistress," replied the slave.

"And did they figure out how to make one?"

"...No, mistress," the unfortunate Lingkon woman said, doing her best not to cower. "The device had a self destruct sequence, our teams were unable to discover anything before it-"

And with that, the Warlady Velka's three pronged trident was sent flying, and the handmaiden impaled.

"Take her away," she muttered dryly, waving a hand with indifference. Guards came and removed the body. "And get me Sarke!"

"Yes, Great Broade!" they replied.

Within less than a minute, Sarke had arrived. He bowed formally.

"The Noppera," growled Velka. "What's their next move?"

"They're preparing to attack a primitive planet called 'Earth' by local inhabitants."

"Class M, obviously," mused Velka.

"Yes."

"Another takeover?" she asked.

"What else?" replied Sarke.

"Damn the Noppera!" screamed Velka, her fist banging on the table, sending items set upon it scattering.

"They have the unthinkable weapon, a weapon that can turn anything in its path to nothing, and they use it only to make more of themselves?-! What of the conquest, the resources, the glory? All they can think about is reproduction!" she growled. "With a weapon like that, we could establish a permanent home..."

Sarke said nothing. He didn't want the trident in him either.

"We spent months trying to capture their weapon, and now that we have it, none of these idiots can figure out how to use it or create another before it blows itself up," she sighed, putting her head in her hand.

"Tell me about this planet," she said maliciously.

"What planet?"

"Earth, you dolt!" she hissed.

"Oh! Oh, yes. There are intelligent inhabitants on Earth, mistress, inhabitants capable of creating civilization."

"I thought you said it was a primitive planet!"

"Well, their technology is inferior compared to ours...their spacecraft is a joke and can only carry living organisms to their single moon, and only with great risk."

She frowned.

"Well, that's still quite intelligent. They have spacecraft, even if it's primitive. How many species of intelligent life are on this world?"

"Only one. There are several million other, non intelligent species."

"I see..." she sighed heavily. "Show me the planet."

"I'll have to bring it up on the holograph-"

"Then do it!"

He researched images, then projected them from the device in his hand and allowed Velka to view them.

The Warlady's jaw dropped.

"Sarke...these...this...this planet is perfect!"

She grabbed him by his armor.

"This planet is so similar to Alderaan, where I came from...before it was destroyed..."

She then let him go and cursed.

"Damn Noppera! Why do they deserve to have this planet? Why can't we take over one measly planet when they have so many?"

"Taking it could actually be difficult for us anyway, milady..."

She bared her teeth and snapped at him. "What do you mean, difficult?-!"

"Well, despite being primitive..." he said quickly, swallowing, "...they are extremely militaristic people. They fight amongst themselves for power and cannot get along...they have created weapons that can obliterate the face of their own planet."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes, mistress. They would put up a good fight if we attempted to invade them, despite their incivility. That is, if they could unite. If being a big if. They quarrel too much amongst themselves."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "But for the Noppera, it will only be a matter of days. With a weapon like theirs..."

She leaned back against her throne and sighed.

"Well, it doesn't matter, does it? They'll soon have Earth in their grasp."

...

Vash sat at the island bar in their kitchen, high on a footstool. His head was in one hand and in the other a shot of Appellenzer. Switzerland wasn't terribly drunk, or drunk at all, really; but he was very, very stressed.

He tried to stop shaking as he heard the door click and the sound of Lili's tiny feet pattering around in the hallway.

"Vash? Vash!" she called. He closed his eyes in bitterness. No matter what he said, he knew that this revelation was going to hurt her. Hurt his little Lili...He squeezed his eyes as tightly as he could and gripped the glass, teeth clenched.

"Vash? Are you okay?" she called.

"I'm in here, Lili," he replied hoarsely. In another minute, she was sitting beside him.

"Vash...what's the matter?" she asked, face flooded with concern. His face fell and he stared at the granite countertop.

"Lili...I have to tell you something. Please...Please don't hate me for it."

Lili's eyes were wide with worry. "I could never hate you."

I don't know about that.

He embraced her tightly and she felt as if something terrible had happened.

"Aww. How cute," muttered a sarcastic voice from the doorway.

Lili gasped. "Mr. Prussia!"

Gilbert laughed. "Did you miss me, dear?"

Switzerland's eyes narrowed and he reached for his rifle. "Get off my property, you scamp, how did you even get in-"

"Ohoh, so we're calling me the scamp after you keep a vital secret from her?"

"Ooooh," Lili fumed in rage, her palms clenched, little form dominated by anger. "How dare you bring that up again! Vash would never do such a thing."

Switzerland nearly dropped the gun.

"Kill him!" growled Liechtenstein. She had no hate for anyone in the world except someone who was an enemy of her beloved Swiss.

Gilbert laughed again. "I think he won't," he said, and revealed that on the end of a rope he was holding was Switzy's boss, tied up.

Vash raised an eyebrow. "I thought you went on a cruise to Seychelles."

The boss shrugged. "Meeh. Too much money."

Prussia untied him and bowed. "Sorry, boss Swiss, I didn't want to do that, it was just the only way to get you here. Now, did you know that these two are to be married?"

The boss gasped then started laughing hysterically. Lili's face was suddenly filled with confusion; Switzerland raised his hands and motioned a no-go, but his boss either didn't notice or didn't care.

"I didn't think you could do it, but you did! Hah! Well even a Swiss can be a player if he wants. Good job, Zwingli!" said his boss, patting him on the back. Vash shrank at his touch, and covered his face with his gloved hands in shame.

It was his worst nightmare.

Lili dropped the gift she was carrying on the ground with a thud, which cued a moment of silence.

"I didn't think you could do it, but you did!"

Impossible. Vash's boss knew about the marriage?

Suddenly Prussia's words from the market came flooding back to her, surrounding her, consuming her.

"The boss had a command for Switzerland...He said that Zwingli has to marry you as quickly as possible so that they can use your treasury."

The doubts were seeping back in. She wanted to kill herself for ever disbelieving him, but when she looked at his face...there was no face. He was shriveling in shame, hands shielding his features.

No...

Vash's ancient teachings began to swirl...

I do love saving money!

Money is the only stable thing in this world, Liechtenstein, it's the only thing you can depend on!

There is no love in anyone, especially myself!

These had been his words during their first years. She forgot now that he'd stopped saying these things after a few years of being together.

The silence was worse than the commotion for Vash; it had a grating, biting edge.

Then Lili shattered it. "Vash?" Her voice was watery, on the brink of tears.

"Vash, it's not true, tell me it isn't true!" she said, sounding like she'd rather die than be confirmed in her suspicion.

Vash was kneeling now, head bent in woe. "Lili...I tried to tell you, but..."

He was interrupted by the slamming of the door and the rushing of feet. In a few moments the Austro Hungarian Empire stood at the door. Elizaveta's eyes showed clear disappointment as she saw the situation.

"We...We were too late," she whispered sadly, and started glaring at Gilbert, who, to Austria's surprise, shrank under her scrutiny. Prussia never cowered before anyone.

Switzerland rushed to Lili's side and embraced her desperately, saying, "I'm so sorry...I didn't mean for any of this to happen..."

But Lili was stiff and her eyes set with a stony look.

"Tell me straight. Is it true or not?" she said softly, without another word. "This is just like that movie," she thought in agony. "Is it true or forced love? Or is it love at all?"

He took a deep breath. Switzerland had never considered that Prussia might have lied to her; in his mind, he was so afraid of her finding the truth that he didn't even think that she might have been lied to.

"Y-Yes."

Silence.

How can it be?

Suddenly Lili was alone, alienated from all of them, transported to another place, a white room, with no floors, walls, or ceiling; just an expanse of white light. And he was there; Vash was there. But he didn't wear his uniform; instead, he wore the plain white shirt he'd worn the day he'd found her, with patches and rough mending, as well as a pair of faded brown breeches. Their hurtful words consumed her, swirled around her, and she put her hands to her head and covered her ears.

They're stingy, the Swiss...Trigger happy idiots...Don't care for anybody...Refuse to take sides on anything...Hopeless Misers...Care for nothing but money...money...money...

"STOP!" she'd cried. "You're wrong!"

How could they insult the man who stood before her, with a small but warm smile on his face, hand outstretched to take her in, his only food waiting for her on the table?

He was perfect.

"I didn't think you could do it, but you did!"

"Money is the only stable thing in this world, Liechtenstein, it's the only thing you can depend on! There is no love in anyone, especially myself!"

"The boss had a command for Switzerland...He said that Zwingli has to marry you as quickly as possible so that they can use your treasury."

"Y-Yes."

It was true. It was true!

Suddenly it was if someone had taken a huge hammer and shattered the image of the smiling Switzerland in his faded clothes with his arm outstretched. Pieces of the image flew everywhere, and Lili shielded her face. When she looked up, all that remained was a stoic figure; a man dressed in military uniform, gun raised, his hand firmly grasping his wallet, his eyes steely with cold apathy.

"It was true all along...and I couldn't see," she thought in disbelief.

There was silence for a moment...then Lili gently pushed him away with one hand and began to sob.

Hungary pulled her husband, Gilbert, and the Swiss boss (who thought the whole thing was funny) outside so that the two could be alone.

Switzerland opened his arms and apologized profusely. "Please, Lili, I tried to tell you but I couldn't...I love you, I do..." he suppressed Darth Vash because he knew that would only scare her.

He tried to hug her but she pushed him away.

"So...So when you took me in, it was all...all for..."

"NO!" he cried, close to tears himself. "You had no money, then, remember? I love you Lili, please, believe me!"

"Oh, Switzy," she sobbed, her face stained with tears. He had a tiny jolt of hope from the term of endearment, but his hope was soon dashed.

"You're breaking my heart."

He...used...me!

Prussia's words kept hammering themselves into her head.

"He said that Zwingli has to marry you as quickly as possible so that they can use your treasury."

She shut her eyes tightly.

He proposed to me for my money!

He sighed and fell to his knees again, gun clanging beside him.

This was the worst.

"All I ever wanted to do was to make her happy," he thought miserably, feeling moisture develop around his eyes. He refused to let her see that; Vash never cried. "I've failed miserably."

"You say you love me. Then why did you do it?" she said hoarsely.

"Because I...I don't know! I..."

"Because you needed some cash?"

"NO!"

"Vash, why didn't you just ask for it, you know I would have given it to you!"

"Damn it Lili, it's not about the money! It's because... because I really wanted to love you and marry you...And the opportunity came...I don't know...I don't understand myself! All I know is that I care about you, please..."

Suddenly she was standing, descending from her seat upon a barstool.

He looked up, forgetting to hide his tears.

"Lil?" he asked cautiously.

She had the ring in her hand, and knelt to the ground but would not face him.

She placed the token at his feet, then rose.

"Thank you for the accommodations, Mr. Switzerland," she said robotically, refusing to look at him and lose all her pride.

"Lili, no!"

"I enjoyed my stay and wish you well."

"Please!" he begged, tugging at her arm, but she removed his hand.

"I'm sorry for being so much trouble on you financially."

"You were never any trouble, I wanted to help you..." In a final resort he rose, and took her in his arms from behind. Her face was turned away from him, but he put a hand on each arm and tenderly kissed her cheek.

"Please forgive me, Liechtenstein," he whispered in her ear. He bent his head in shame and gripped her arms tightly. "I...I can't live without you," he said, broken.

There was a pause.

"Vash?"

He said nothing.

"I don't want forced love."

"It isn't fo-"

"Save it!" she said, with a bitter edge in her voice he'd never heard before. Lili pulled away and again, he sank to his knees.

She looked at her brother one more time, scrunched on the floor, gun beside him, eyes bloodshot.

"Goodbye, Mr. Switzerland," she said softly, and her voice broke at his name.

"I...I loved you," she whispered, and walked away.

...

Hungary reached for Lili's arm as she brushed past her on the porch.

"I'm sure it's all a misunderstanding," she pleaded, but Lili shook her head. She gave Mrs. Austro Hungary a hug and whimpered in her ear, "N-Never mind, Ms. Hungary. I won't be needing a bridesmaid anymore."

Elizaveta's eyes widened. "Lili! You can't be calling off the marriage, it's not possible!"

Liechtenstein looked at her feet. "I'm sorry."

She ran swiftly off the porch, saying nothing to Mr. Austro Hungary or Prussia. Thunder sounded and dark clouds loomed in the distance. Austria called out, "Liechtenstein, it's dangerous in the rain! Do you want to come to our house?"

She shook her head but did not look back. "I'll be at my place before it begins...Goodbye." Lili paused a moment, then took one last glance at the place that had been her home for so many years; the Swiss cross flew overhead, with her flag slightly below it...It was a serene, simple house. A house to which she would never again belong. In a frisk of tears, she turned away and ran with all her might.

Austria sighed and turned to face his wife. He'd never seen such a look of shock or anger on her face; and she was staring at Gilbert.

"What did you say?-!" she exclaimed. "I know Lili, she wouldn't dare break off the marriage for what Vash did! You lied to her, didn't you?-!"

Gilbert began to feel uneasy. He really was a smart ass towards everyone, but sometimes Hungary got the best of him.

He'd loved her, after all.

"I...I..."

Hungary shook her head and stepped back, defensively standing near her husband.

"Vash asked to marry her because he loved her too much to have her evicted, not because he wanted her money. Tell me that's what you said, please Gilbert..."

Prussia hung his head. "Well..."

"I'm ashamed to know you. I thought you said you believed in love, that's what you told me so many years ago..."

Their eyes met, and suddenly he was taken back to that autumn day in a windswept orchard behind his home; where long ago, he'd confessed his love to Hungary and found that she was to marry Mr. Austria.

Little Liechtenstein...

In that one moment, as their eyes met, Prussia felt a twinge of guilt for what he'd done; he'd broken the poor girl's heart, and maybe Vash's too, though he could care less for Zwingli's feelings. He remembered the little giggles Lili used to give him, back when they lived together in Germany's house, so long ago.

About two seconds passed.

And...the feeling was gone.

Hungary gripped Austria's hand. "Never forget that we are married, Gilbert, and shall remain that way until death," she said coldly, still disbelieving Prussia's treachery.

Austria stiffened and turned away, confusing his wife.

"Roderich?" she asked slowly, eyebrows furled.

He sighed and said slowly..."Elizaveta, my dear...we must talk."

...

As her soggy hair mopped in front of her face, Lili had a strange shiver of Deja Vu.

The sky was dark with thunderclouds; her bag was soaked, her dress in tatters, and she was hopelessly lost. It wasn't far from Switzerland to Liechtenstein, but somehow she'd lost her way; half of her believed that she wanted to lose her way. All around there was a sense of hopelessness and dread.

She collapsed against a wall, near an alley, and closed her eyes.

"How can this be happening?" she thought in woe.

Vash had been her world.

Now her world was upside down.

This time there would be no Switzerland to save her. She sobbed onto her knees as she remembered that she'd forgotten to bring Amoperu; Lili could use his companionship.

She wondered if it was another dream when she heard footsteps approaching; she often dreamed of the day Switzerland had found her in the rain.

But this figure was different; no cap covered his head, no gun clanked at his side, and his clothes weren't full of holes as Vash's had been when he had found her.

She hung her head in shame and felt bad for the boot that now encased his foot.

"Lili."

She hoped that the rain concealed her tears.

"You do know it's raining, right?"

Switzerland had always told her, countless times, how he'd come to trust no one; that the bickering of the surrounding nations made him laugh, for they all fought at cross purposes and often forgot why wars were started once they were over.

She'd never understood the cold, hard gleam in his eye when he looked at the world from the top of the Alps, gun cocked, ready to shoot anyone in his way.

Now she understood perfectly.

"You can never trust anyone, Liechtenstein," he'd said, speaking harshly of Austria. "Even the ones closest to you will turn against you; don't become close to anyone or love anything. Because when they turn on you..."

He'd lost faith in humanity, and she always told him that he was wrong, that there was hope for the people of the world; and seeing her face when she said that, he believed her at times.

But now she knew that he was right; there was no hope, no love in people. She had turned bitter, and a hard light filled her eyes that had never been there before. So as she accepted Prussia's hand in the rain, and allowed him to take her in, she gave none of her heart away, and trusted him no more than she trusted Vash.

She'd never trust or love again; at least, that's what she tried to tell herself.

...

Elizaveta sat in a heap of skirts. She felt terribly guilty for the bump she'd put on Roderich's head with her frying pan; she knew he had no control over their fate.

She wished that Gilbert was still there so she could beat him until the pan had a dent in it, though.

"I hate Spain," she thought begrudgingly, also wishing he was there. And Roderich's boss, too. But she couldn't solve all the world's problems with a frying pan.

"What am I to do..." she said, shaking her head in woe.

She suddenly began to doubt that Mr. Austria ever loved her at all; he rarely showed any signs of affection towards her.

Curse Spain.

She'd always had contempt for people who wallowed in their own misery, so she got up and walked inside the Swiss house.

She saw Vash on the floor, next to the bottle of Appellenzer.

"He's passed out," she thought, rage boiling inside of her towards Gilbert. This was all his fault; but though it was too late for her and Roderich, it may not have been for Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

She kneeled down to the floor and saw that Vash's eyes were open.

Never had she seen such a forlorn look, in his eyes or anyone else's. Normally his eyes were sharp, and alert; on the prowl, searching for intruders...distrusting, always skeptical of everything. And when Lili was there, there was a loss of control in them, always flits of embarrassment, protectiveness, and ultimately, love...or weakness, some would say.

Lili was his only weakness.

But now they had no life in them at all. They were dull, listless; he looked up at Hungary for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the floor in disinterest.

His gun lay beside him, but he did not reach for it.

"He's not drunk...he's just given up hope."

Vash had given up on humanity long ago...Lili had been his last hope that there was good in people, and now she was gone, and he'd given up hope altogether.

He hadn't even the will to get off the floor.

Hungary had never shown weakness in front of anyone, really, but now she felt utterly distraught.

"This is ridiculous, Zwingli!" she cried.

It took him a few moments to respond. "Oh?" he finally said, with so complete an apathy in his voice it scared her.

"You're usually the one who can think, who can pull things together when everyone else has no hope...don't give up on her now..."

He smiled, but there was absolutely no warmth in it, or feeling of any kind for that matter.

"Yes, Elizaveta...because I trusted no one, I had hope in practicality. Sound Vulcan logic. I expect nothing of anyone. Anyone except her...and I've broken her heart. I'll never see her again."

Hungary felt like he world was ending for her...How could Roderich leave, now, now when she was suspecting...suspecting...and with all this craziness between Lili and Vash...

"Vash, what am I going to do?-!" she said, tears forming.

This roused Switzerland out of his miserable state for just a moment...She usually didn't use his first name like that. He stiffly sat up, trying to pull it together, though he really didn't care about anything anymore.

"Hungary...You never act like this. You've got the blood of a warrior in you, what's going on?"

She stared in those eyes that had now lost feeling; the eyes that had been her first love, though he never knew and would have spurned her if he did.

"Vash, do you know what happened?" she asked softly.

He nodded. "He told me...he was very upset about it."

This made her feel even worse as she buried her head in her hands.

"Hungary..." he said, confused. "What's the matter with you, I know that you're sad but this is just weird..."

"Vash, I'm pregnant."

He had thought that the day could not get any stranger, but apparently not.

Hungary had always admired that he kept his head when everyone else would have been stressed; and though Lili was still on his mind, he categorized his plight with her in a different folder than Hungary and Austria's troubles. The two had no relation to each other, or corresponding emotion. It was just how his mind worked; and Elizaveta had always admired it.

"Does he know?" he asked calmly, unlike an ordinary person who would have been freaking out at the moment.

She shook her head. "No. I don't know what to do...I can't raise a child without his help."

Vash sighed and started searching for more Appellenzer.

"Well, how can you salvage this..." he set his weary mind to the problem, analyzing how to solve it despite his situation.

And at that moment, Hungary gained more respect for him than she ever had. She could always rely on him to be practical.

"I would analyze your assets, and Spain's...wear a suit, and talk to Roderich's boss," he muttered in a low voice, raiding the cabinets. "Be polite yet charming...demonstrate your love of classical music. And then try to prove that you're worth more to Austria economically than Spain. Since all the bosses seem to only care for money," he said angrily, slamming the cabinet shut and roughly placing the blue bottle on the counter.

Swiss could hold his liquor well. And his hot chocolate.

Ms. Hungary stopped and stared at the table for a moment, then said, "Well, what about you?"

He poured himself a drink.

"What about me?"

"Since when does Vash Zwingli give up like everyone else when things get rough, sit down, and drink himself to death?"

He looked at the clear liquid blandly and sighed.

"I failed, Hungary. I tried to analyze love like I would accounting, and it doesn't work like that. But that's just how I think, and I can't change. So it's done."

He took a shot.

She shook her head and snatched the vial of liquor from him.

"Hey!" he muttered, and felt for his Swiss Army Knife as a default reaction.

"I know that you're wrong."

"Do you?"

"I knew it ever since I gave her that foursquare of eyeshadow."

He looked at her strangely. "...?"

"Emotion is weakness to you, and Lili is your weakness. You can't just let her go. I'll do anything to get Roderich back, you have to do the same."

He sighed again, heavily. "But what can I do, my ElizaBeta?" he said softly, reaching for the bottle.

She snatched it away and nearly blushed at his term of endearment. Out of all the nations in the world, Hungary was really the only one that had his respect. Besides Lili of course.

"Do you really think she'd be that upset over the truth?"

"Yes."

"But she wouldn't call off the marriage."

He thought about this for a moment.

"What are you saying, Hungary?"

"I'm saying he tricked her. He...he's become hardened to life. Like you in a way...but you always had Lili as a last hope. But his love turned her back on him and he doesn't believe in it anymore."

Switzerland snorted. "Gilbert loved someone? With all his power hungry ways?"

She looked at the floor. "I couldn't stand that he was so power hungry...that's why I chose Roderich over him...though I had always been fond of him, and I didn't mind his obnoxiousness..."

Switzerland's eyes widened. "Elizaveta..."

She shook her head. "It's my fault he's like this. I was so cruel when I spurned him...Now he hates even the notion of love. Though lust certainly isn't lost on him."

Vash still was puzzling over her words, amazed that the two had ever been close like that, when his eyes lit up in recognition. "Are you saying he lied to her?"

"It's very possible."

"But why would he do that?"

"Isn't it obvious? She's helpless without you, he hates you, and ultimately...he needs her money."

"But Prussia hates the idea of marrying for money. He wants to win everything by the divide and conquer tactic," Vash protested.

Elizaveta raised an eyebrow. "Swiss...tell me you've been keeping tabs on his economy..."

He looked down, ashamed. All this craziness with Lili had put him behind in the intelligence department.

She managed a small chuckle. "Proof your mind isn't all analytical."

He said nothing because he had no response that would counter her statement.

"Prussia is almost in the red, Zwingli. His last conquest against France failed miserably. And he has no allies to bail him out...Germany is busy keeping Italy from bankruptcy, and he didn't dare ask me because of Roderich. He needs quick cash."

Suddenly the wheels began to turn, and Vash slowly put the pieces together. His eyes began to widen, and she saw the old light reappear in his eyes; one could almost hear his brain whizzing with activity.

"Where did she go?" he demanded.

"Into the rain...she said she was going back home to Liechtenstein."

"Where's Gilbert?" he said rapidly.

She was ashamed to admit..."He followed her...I'm sorry. I hit him with a frying pan but he kept going anyway...then Roderich told me..."

Suddenly Switzerland was up and about. He readied his gun with his hands, and had the telephone propped between his shoulder and his ear.

"I need you to alert the army and have them on standby."

Hungary was amazed at his rapid recovery. Vash rolled his eyes at his boss' reply.

"I don't care. This is your fault anyway, if you hadn't...never mind. I don't think I'm going to need them anyway but have them be ready to back me up."

Hungary suddenly began to realize what this meant. Vash's eyes were afire with anger.

"Yes," he spat. "I WILL declare war on him if necessary, now get those troops ready immediately!"

He slammed the telephone back onto its receiver, knelt down, and tied his army boots quickly. Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, he prepared to exit the room.

He looked over the tear stained, yet smiling figure of Hungary.

He didn't smile back, but she knew that inwardly he was wishing her well. Switzerland put a hand on her stomach and said softly, "I wish you the best." He kissed her formally on the cheek, and she grinned warmly as he exited. She knew he'd get her back, and she was determined to do the same with Roderich.

After a few moments, she heard him rush back into the room, and watched him kneel to the floor.

Vash's eyes scanned the tile in rapid sweeps, searching until he found his target.

His rough hands reached out for the token, but used all the gentleness he possessed to pick it up.

Switzerland only shook his head as he put the wedding ring back in his pocket, and vowed to again put it on her finger.

...

Though the food was steaming hot, Liechtenstein ate it with utter coldness. Prussia noted her behavior, and almost recognized the look in her eyes.

"You're not what you were, Gilbert!" she exclaimed.

The wind blew through the yellowing cherry trees, autumn nearly gone and winter at their doorstep.

She stood only a few feet from him, but at that moment he felt as if she were a million miles away.

"You're power hungry and cruel, and I'll never marry you! And for the record...you're not awesome!"

He smiled a sickening grin as he placed his mug back on the table.

"So you know now."

Her eyes rolled back to meet his, seemingly dead of emotion. She tried to make herself as apathetic as Prussia appeared, but in truth she was masking the heart-breaking sadness that was consuming her.

Vash...

"Know what?"

"That love is only an illusion; and that the only concrete things in this life are power and money," he said bluntly.

She just watched as he stood and towered over her being, taking her chin in his hand. "That those you love will betray you, hurt you, stab you..." he said viciously, smarting from where Hungary's frying pan had hit him on the head and in the heart.

Seeing Lili break had reminded him of that day in the windswept orchard; and now he told himself he didn't care if Austria divorced her.

Though it wasn't true.

"...That you can't trust anyone, especially those close to you...because they will take your sympathy and use it against you."

She remembered seeing Swiss preach the same ideas to her, though not nearly as bluntly as Prussia.

She forgot how Vash's eyes softened when he saw her, and no longer believed his own words.

"Yes," she said, her voice like ice.

"You should make a good bride for me, then," he said, smiling cruelly.

She rose out of her chair. "I'll never marry again."

He laughed for a moment. "Look out the window."

She didn't trust him, but decided to obey for now. She saw rolling hills surrounding the castle from her high window; and in the distance...troops?

She peered out of the tower carefully; there was no mistaking it.

Red flags were their standard, with a white cross in the center.

"Unbelievable..." she muttered. "He's declaring war..."

Suddenly her heart was torn open again; he was returning for her? Declaring war for her?

"He must really want your money," said Gilbert.

"I don't believe it."

"You haven't been doing your accounting, Princess. He's not doing very well economically right now," lied Prussia.

"I think you're after my money as well."

"But of course. Who isn't?" he said, appearing at her side.

She looked at him with distrust. "What are you getting at?"

"Do you really want to go back with him, Lili?" he asked. "Yes," her heart screamed. "Yes! I want things to be the way they were!"

"The man who betrayed you, lied to you, kept the truth from you?"

Lili turned away from him and the window. Her whole being wanted to side with Vash, but the facts were all against him. He'd betrayed her; and no matter how much she wished things were different, the fact remained that he'd betrayed her, lied to her, and asked her to marry him only because his boss wanted to get his paws on her money.

"So why should I marry you?"

"Because you have no military dear," he said. "And perhaps I will just throw you out there to him, or some other nation you don't even know, so your funds can be seized."

Her eyes widened in fear. "You wouldn't dare..."

He laughed. "I would."

Liechtenstein tried to remember her brother's teaching. It was practical and applicable; anything and everything he did was practical and applicable.

He has no heart, she tried to think, though internally she fought with herself, and did not believe it. Everything in her wanted to believe him...but the facts... Vash couldn't have betrayed her...this couldn't be happening... It was easier to believe that things fell up and not down. But the facts, always the facts, were against him...

She had been under his protection so long that she hadn't had to worry about self defense for a long time. Sheltered in the safe haven surrounded by the Alps, she'd been secluded from the outside world.

But now she remembered that she was alone; she needed protection from the rough world of European wars and politics. Financially she was quite well off, but her population was so small...

Prussia led her back to the table, and placed the pen and marriage contract in front of her.

"It's simple really. I get your treasury...you get my protection. And..." he grinned his evil smile.

"...It takes two weeks to annul a contract."

She met his eyes and found mutual agreement in them.

"He won't be able to get you back by the deadline, even if he launches a full scale war. I doubt his boss will let him keep fighting after the week is up."

He was right.

This was all happening so fast...two hours ago, she'd been betrothed to another man, a man she loved. And now she was in front of a man who had no passion...or passion that he'd lost.

"It's because of her, isn't it?" she asked softly.

"Who?" Gilbert was taken aback.

"Mrs. Austro Hungary. She broke what little heart you had, didn't she? You weren't always like this, remember?"

Gilbert merely gawked for a few moments, then just pouted. "What's that got to do with anything?" he huffed.

She was silent as she gripped the pen.

Vash...oh, Vash! I'm sorry, brother!

"I may never love you, but I understand you."

He was silent for a moment. "It's because you don't love me you understand me," he said quietly.

As her tears stained the paper, sobs suppressed, Gilbert felt another two second twinge of guilt.

The pen wavered, her usually neat cursive blurred.

"Prin-cip-ality...of...Liech-"

There was a sharp battle cry from out the castle wall; and there was no mistaking the owner of the voice.

"Fall out! Surround the premises! Fire on my command!" raged an impassioned voice.

Her thumb quivered, the memories whizzing by in a whirlwind of regret.

The rain. The picnics. The training. The animals. The confession. The proposal. The lies. The betrayal.

"...tenstein."

...

"Excuse me?" Lili held her head down and tugged at his sleeve with embarrassment.

"What does my little girl want?" said the other country, flashing a smile. "Candy? Toys? Here, why don't you just sit on my lap..."

And he was knocked to the floor.

"Stop being perverted around her, please?" sighed Germany.

"Aww, c'mon, West, it was just a joke!" whined Prussia.

"M..Mr. Pwussia?" tried Lili.

"How many times have I told you, call me Gil! Or Mr. Awesome. Whichever you prefer."

"Gil?"

"Yup," he replied cheerfully. "Seriously, what do you want?"

She tried to smile. "I...I just thought that your uniform is really cute! I..just wanted to tell you."

He smiled crookedly. "See? SEE, West? She thinks I'm cute. And Awesome."

"She meant the uniform, not you..."

...

Austria sat across the table with his eyes closed, carefully cutting his meat and eating it with grace. Switzerland gave him a death glare and she hated the tense atmosphere between them.

Suddenly there was a rustle of bushes and Gilbert was there.

"I have some shocking news about this Austrian here," he said, sarcastically pointing at Austria's head.

"He's actually quite stingy. I mean, he's as cheap as you can get!"

"It's just...I love saving money," muttered Austria sheepishly.

"You haven't changed," mumbled Switzerland under his breath.

"Well buy me something with your savings! It's time to start spending! I want something pricey!" said Prussia.

"No," Roderich said firmly.

"Poke." Prussia poked Austria on the cheek, and Austria shut his eyes in annoyance.

"Poke." A pause.

"Poke."

"Poke."

"Poke."

"Poke."

"You are an ass!" Roderich cried in irritation.

Lili couldn't help but laugh aloud, which made Vash stiff. Always, Gil had made her laugh. She'd really missed him, to be honest, as Vash forbade them ever meeting.

Lili remembered these moments with puzzlement. She'd lived in Austria's house until she was three; then Germany took her into his house until she was eight. Then he had let her go, and she'd wandered until Switzerland found her. Always, though, Prussia had been there. And always, there had been a sarcastic, slightly perverted, humorous cheerfulness to him.

"What happened to him?"

Then she remembered the figure of the young Ms. Hungary, frying pan raised, eyebrows drawn, clinging closely to Austria's shadow, leaving Gilbert out of the picture.

I see.

...

No one dared fire. Switzerland had called for peaceful negotiation inside the castle, but Prussia had declined at Lili's request.

It would hurt too much to see his face again.

Her old Swiss uniform discarded, Lili was clothed in a very flowery dress, hoops swinging, petticoats rustling, given to her courtesy of Prussia. He'd effectively swiped her Swatch Watch and pawned it already, somehow...

She was beginning to comprehend what exactly she had done. The cold hard resentment that she'd try to form against humanity, the same kind Vash had once promoted, had faded and been replaced with bitter sadness; Lili wasn't like Vash, or Prussia. She was too full of heart, and goodness, to stay angry for long. Everywhere there seemed to be something that reminded her of Vash, a vase on a table, a brick in the wall...

She was remembering his rare smile and even rarer laugh...she was remembering the picnics and the tea times. But always, always she would come back to the betrayal.

She sat upon the bunk across from the table where Prussia had signed the marriage contract after her.

"What was I thinking?" she moaned, heart torn between the betrayal of Swiss and his previous loyalty.

The stillness of the soldiers made her feel uneasy...she was pondering this as the door opened and Prussia entered.

Suddenly she had a terrible sense of dread as he clicked the lock behind him.

"Gilbert?" she asked, still unfamiliar with his name. Only a few hours ago she would have shot him willingly, and now they were engaged. She observed the haggard figure in front of her with half interest; he was a complicated man, she knew, one who hadn't just given up on humanity like Vash, but had turned bitter against it and was determined to conquer it.

He towered over his new fiancée with a keen smile and Lili felt like shrinking away.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, but did not wait for an answer. Suddenly he was beside her, then on top of her, making her feel very frightened.

The hairbrush, Vash, the floor...she was taken back to the incident, the moment in which she'd first seen Vash's eyes filled with that strange light; and where, to be honest, she'd been sure Vash was going to kiss her.

Lili didn't realize her eyes were closed as she envisioned the memory, her lips dry and waiting in vain for the feel of Switzy's lips.

And instead, all too quickly, all too soon, she was met with Prussia's. Her eyes shot open, pupils becoming small pinpoints, face twisted horror. She pushed him away with all her might, screaming, "No!"

He gave her a queer look then smiled. "Come on, we're as good as married, right?"

She felt her lips with shock and an enormous sense of loss. No, no! Her first kiss had belonged to Vash, no matter what he'd done, her first kiss should've been his, not anybody else's, not Prussia's!

Suddenly she cursed herself for making them wait, she rather would have made out with Swizerland on that couch than have her first kiss snatched away by Prussia, who probably valued her kiss no more than anybody else's.

"No, no, I changed my mind!" she cried, squirming away from him with her eyes closed. Prussia put a firm grip on her arm.

"I don't think so. Remember, it takes two weeks to annul that marriage contract."

"Let me go!" she yelled, feeling his breathe close on her neck.

Prussia laughed. "Come on, would you rather be raped by me or France? Cause I'll FedEx your ass right over there if you break our agreement."

He smiled and raised a roll of duct tape. "I've even got the tape and the box right here!" he said excitedly. "They say it's one low flat rate as long as it fits in the box. Lesse...you're pretty compact..."

Her face turned pallid and all the breath went out of her at once.

"Ra...Rape..." she said, turning ghastly. Her mind desperately scrambled for Switzy's self defense techniques, but all she could remember were animal drawings...

Vash had always been civil to her, he'd never put hands on her, never would-

Prussia tore at her sleeve and began to pull it down, not able to wait.

She started to scream and kick, but he pinned her down.

"Ohh, what're you going to do now, huh? Oh, you wanna scream? Okay, I'll scream with you! HEELP! HELLP! See, bitch, no one can hear you or nobody cares!"

His sarcasm has turned for the worst!

"VASHH! VASHH!"

Prussia suddenly looked very irritated. "God, you are dumber than I thought! I thought you realized people were hopeless, but now you're crying his name even after what he did to you...weak little-"

"VASSSH!"

She saw his eyes soften a bit, and he sighed. "Oh, okay...Maybe we can wait a while-"

She could see that he felt bad now,

She also knew that he had some sense of morality..,though he was very different now than when thy had lived together.

Suddenly the door burst open and Prussia's boss was in the doorway.

"You need to come, now!" he demanded, not even paying heed to the situation in the bedroom. It was nothing new for Prussia.

Gilbert groaned. "Can't you see I'm kind of busy, here?" he asked.

"It's an emergency, I swear!"

"If Zwingli isn't battering the door down, I don't want to hear it-"

"It's worse! Zwingli is the least of everyone's troubles right now..."

Prussia sighed as he rose, and Lili shuddered in apprehension.

"Don't go anywhere," he muttered, and walked away. But as he reached the door, he turned around and shook his head at Lili.

"You're just like her! You can never get him out of your head, even after everything he's done to you..." he looked at the floor. "...even after I tried everything. You still love him."

Liechtenstein knew that even though he talked to her, he was really speaking to somebody else.

Finally he just sighed and locked the door behind him as he left.

Lili couldn't move for a while. She lay on the bed, panting, closing her eyes and opening them slowly in disbelief.

"Oh..Oh, God..."

She felt paralyzed, frozen, pinned in place, and ultimately, violated.

Switzerland. Oh, God, Switzerland!

Thunder rumbled in the distance, storm clouds looming. She listened from where she lay, dress torn and hair damp with sweat, for ten or so minutes, when there was the sound of a sharp voice.

"Prepare! Ready! Aim! Fire!"

And a round of shells.

"Vash," she whispered. The voice screaming orders was not his; it was another's.

"Oh, Vash!" she cried, a tear escaping and running down her cheek. "Who am I kidding...there's got to be a reason he did what he did... I should've given him a chance..."

She shook her head. "Vash, where are you now?"

"Nowhere where he can help you."

She seized up in fear at the sound of Prussia's voice. He'd returned. "Don't be such a wuss," he sneered. "I'm not going to do anything to you. I don't have time." He retrieved his coat and slung it over his shoulder.

She simply shuddered, eyes paralyzed with fear.

"What?" he asked, a smile curling on his lips. "You want to be with him?"

Lili could barely nod. He laughed at her, then shook his head in bitterness.

"I thought I saw something admirable in you, but I guess not. Swiss failed; he knows the true nature of people very well and that's why you can't trust him. He didn't do a very good job of teaching it to you. Well fine. I'll leave you with him to die. See ya."

"...To die?"

"Oh yeah. Did I mention aliens are attacking the earth? Little white dudes with green glow sticks on their heads. They've already destroyed Russia, Japan, and America's lands, and and are heading our way. The whole Swiss Army will be consumed in a matter of minutes."

She blinked. "Wait- What?"

"Did you not hear me?"

"Are...Are you on drugs?" she said skeptically.

"You're a smart ass, aren't you? Oh, and that answer to the drug question may or may not be yes." He only shook his head. "I know it's weird, but I saw the video myself. You can laugh when you're a, 'Noppera.'

And with that he was gone...

But he locked the door behind him.

The sound of gunfire continued and Lili cringed in fear.

"How am I supposed to get out of here?" She didn't believe that alien attack story for a second, but she was trapped in the room with no way out; the tower was very high up.

"I'll scream out the window," she thought, but before she could reach it, she heard scuffling from the outside the ledge. A gasp escaped her lips. She ducked behind a chair and shivered in fear; there was an all too familiar sound. The clicking of a gun.

She breathed heavy and closed her eyes, desperately wishing that Vash were there...when...

Thud.

The sound of boots approaching; though light footed, yet sure. She slowly opened her eyes; she would know that walk anywhere.

"Vash?"

"Lili!"

He dropped the gun and embraced her.

"My God, Lili, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed.

"How did you get up here?" she asked. "This tower is at least a few stories high."

"I climbed," he said. He'd used a rope to reach the high window.

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"You think I care?"

He tried to smile, but failed. "Listen, Lili, I can explain, I think that Prussia-"

Suddenly he stopped and turned very red faced.

"L-Lili-" he said, shakily pointing a finger to her now nearly exposed bosom.

"You're-" suddenly his eyes grew wide with realization, and then furled in a fury.

"Where is that bastard, what did he do to you?-!" he cried, and she covered herself in embarrassment.

"I...I should have listened to you. He's...He's..."

"An evil bastard who should be shot!" he exclaimed, and cocked his gun.

"No, I don't think so..." she said softly, and Vash raised an eyebrow.

Lili remembered the bitter light in Prussia's eyes.

"He's...He's just confused. And heartbroken."

Vash shook his head.

"I don't believe it."

He rushed to the door and nearly banged on it for all he was worth when he found that it was locked; gritting his teeth, he reluctantly turned away in order not to raise an alarm.

"I swear, when I see that bastard again, I'm gonna..." he mumbled, catching himself before he became extremely profane in front of Lili.

He saw her there, huddled in a corner, a look of sadness very plain on her face, her hands covering her chest in regret and embarrassment.

She looked up at him with those morose eyes, then returned her gaze to the floor.

And with that one sad look, just as on the day she looked at him with fear from under the covers, she broke his heart.

He dropped the gun on the floor and ran to embrace her.

"What did he do to my Lili...my sweet Lili..." he cooed, as he did to her as a child when she was afraid, or usually, asleep.

Liechtenstein could have taped these sorts of moments and sold them for a million dollars to the other countries; she'd forgotten how vulnerable he was towards her. In rare moments, he used to call her pet names, or say something sweet in her ear to comfort her; but he would have shot anyone who accused him of doing so. If she ever brought moments like that up, he got nervous and flustered; even when their love had been familial.

Vash hated showing weakness; to him, not being hostile and suspicious was weakness. But always, Lili in her utter kindness, compassion, and thoughtfulness won him over.

Liechtenstein would never tell him, but she remembered pretending to be asleep once when Vash came in the room; he'd sat at her bedside for a while, just sitting there and watching her for a long time. She was beginning to get fidgety and almost pretended to wake up, when something broke the stillness; his voice.

She had never before, and never again, heard him sing.

He had a fairly deep voice, but there was a strange softness, a vulnerable tone to it that made her nearly gasp in wonder. So this is why he never sang; his voice was like that of a choir boy, with such emotion in it that anyone who heard him would be stunned, and in his opinion, they would probably think him weak. It exposed his softer nature, a side of himself he liked to keep hidden.

It was a very soft, "Edelweiss, Edelweiss, every morning you meet me..." his thick German lulled her to sleep, and she often wondered if it had just been a dream.

Now, again he was cooing in her ear, a rare sign of affection, one that scarcely came annually, if that, and one she would have usually cherished. She was dying to return his embrace, to cry in his arms and give in; but she was solemn and refused to hug him back.

There was still a problem.

Vash realized very quickly that she was stiff; and now, he felt guilty for all the hugs Lili had given him that he'd never returned. It was one of the worst feelings he'd ever experienced.

His only phobia stared him in the face; rejection.

The terrible thing about her was she was his only vulnerability; he had shown weakness in front of her, his only weakness.

And if she spurned him...it would break him. His Achillies heel would be shot, his last hope dead.

"Lili..." he let go of her awkwardly and tried to look her in the eye. Vash had a reputation for terrifying grown men with his stare. It was so harsh, so unchanging, so demanding of an answer, that everyone except Lili cringed under his gaze. But now, seeing the look in her eyes, he stared at the floor in shame,

"Lili...I should just tell you the truth now."

She sighed. "A little late."

"I know." He raised his hands and took a breath. "Well...Boss told me, on your birthday, that you cost too much to keep and I had to get rid of you," he confessed, "which is not true. But I had to obey him...and I couldn't bear the idea of leaving you, or you becoming victim of..." here he threw up his hands and sighed, "...Prussia."

She shook her head and closed her eyes in shame.

"The only way I could convince him to keep you was to get married so that we could use your treasury..."

He sighed sadly. "But, I love you anyway, Lili, I'd still want to marry you."

She stared off into the distance. "So is it true or forced love?"

"True."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely."

She seemed to be in deep thought and torn with decision for a moment; Vash held his breath. This was it. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the response.

"And if I want to stay here, what will you do?"

His heart fell to the pit of his stomach.

No! Nooo! he wailed inwardly.

"Are you crazy? Look what he did to you, you need me-"

"I need you?-!" she demanded. "I don't need you! Answer the question!"

He shrunk back and felt an emotion he'd never known till recently; fear.

"I don't need you!" What was his pride and joy? His Alps, the Edelweiss, Guns, Swiss Army Knives, Swiss Miss, and most importantly...taking care of Lili.

The heart wrenching words played over and over again.

I.

Don't.

Need.

You.

She's right.

"I...I lied." He closed his eyes, and gave himself away, head bent in shame." Lili, I need you. You don't need me, I need you."

She tried not to soften at these beautiful words, these words that Swiss could never say, these words that pledged allegiance and were no longer neutral; but it was hard.

Be strong, be independent! Don't back down! she thought.

The words had made Vash completely helpless; he'd let his guard down by confessing his true feelings. It had taken all his courage. But he let down his shield only to be shot.

Lili was harsh to him against her own will.

"You need me? What do you need from me, my money?"

"No, Lili, please-"

"Just answer the question!" she said, barely able to keep her voice raised. How could she yell at him like this?

He hung his head in woe. Inside she thought that he must feel for her; Vash was never emotional, never sorry for anything he'd done, and there was always a hard gleam in his eyes. The bent and broken person in front of her was somebody else, someone only she was allowed to see.

"I...It'd break my heart. But if that's what you want, if you want to live with...with him..." there was venom in his voice at the word- Lili with that bastard, who would abuse her, treat her like dirt- it made him so angry he nearly transformed into Darth Vash, but kept himself under control, for Lili's sake. The thought of her, God forbid, being one with Gilbert made him want to punch a hole in a wall or kill something,

"...Then I'll let you go."

The words came out choked and raspy.

Let you go. He couldn't believe it. I promised myself I wouldn't let her go... I can't lose her, I'll never survive!

"Liechtenstein!" he shouted, nearly losing himself at her silence. He shrank to his knees and clasped his hands in a desperate plea.

"Please give me another chance!" he swallowed his pride and spit it out, "I'll die without you!"

She was silent a moment...Time seemed to stand still.

This is the end...

He could hear her heavy breathing...then the sound of her skirts rustling. He looked up in fear, and then saw her shake her head in sorrow and cry, "Why, Vash? Why didn't I trust you, and now I got myself into this mess..."

She knelt to meet him and hugged him for all she was worth, crying at her utter stupidity. A huge wave of relief flooded him.

He never wanted my money...He'd let me stay here if it made me happy, he isn't after my money, he never was! If only I'd listened, and now I've made him so miserable!

"Vash, I'm a big liar," she sobbed, and he didn't let go of her. He never wanted to let go of her again.

"No you're not..."

"I do need you."

She sniffled and leaned back, not looking him in the eye. He hated himself for doing this to her; he should've just told her the truth to start.

"I...I can't live without you either," she said softly. "I don't know what I was thinking."

He stared at her with compassion, and could no longer help himself. He placed a hand on her cheek, and drew her near. She surrendered herself, but then he stopped.

"I forgot...first kiss seals us in marriage? If you forgive me..."

Her eyes were brimming with tears.

"You should be the one forgiving me. It doesn't matter now, because this...this isn't my first kiss anymore."

He stopped and blinked for a moment.

Not her first kiss.

He almost felt his eyes glaze in a blood red fury; Gilbert.

Vash could care less which kiss it was, but he knew that to Lili, the first had been very, very important. And now she was heartbroken.

"I'll kill him-"

"It's not his fault, I should've listened to you-"

"No, it was my fault for never telling you the truth...And I-"

Suddenly he was interrupted by the sound of a low rumble in the distance. They were silent, and stock still for a moment,

"Is that thunder?" whispered Lili uneasily.

Vash listened carefully. "No...It's different."

He grabbed his gun and helped her up. "Come on, we need to get out of here."

Liechtenstein shook her head in woe.

"Vash, it doesn't matter. I still can't stay with you."

He closed his eyes in remorse. "Please, just one more chance-"

"No, not because of you...because of me."

He stood back. "What?"

"Your boss still won't let me stay after a week, right?"

"He will if we're engaged!"

"But...you can't be legally engaged to two people at the same time, can you?" she asked feebly.

His mouth opened in shock and he and could barely mutter, "Li-Lili? What're you saying?"

"I'm sorry...but-"

"-She has a previous engagement." Prussia was standing in the door again. "It's a good thing I forgot my car keys."

Switzerland raised an eyebrow. "There's no way you could get out, my army's surrounding the place-"

Prussia flicked a hand. "My car's in Berlin, I have a helipad."

Switzerland growled and prepared his rifle. "You coward, running away and leaving her here after what you've done-"

Gilbert laughed. "Oh, I'm not running from you. I'm running from them."

"Who?"

Lili sighed. "He says aliens are invading the earth."

"...Are you off your rocker?-! I'm going to finish you once and for all this time, how dare you touch her-" Vash cried, readying his bayonet, but Prussia laughed again.

"You might as well spare me, she's still engaged to me and there is nothing you can do about it."

"Shut your mouth, you molester, I'll teach you to- wait." Vash's eyes widened in horror. "You're wha-...Lili!" He turned to face her; this time it was Liechtenstein cowering behind gloved hands.

"Tell me...Tell me it's not..." he swallowed.

She shook her head. "I don't know what I was thinking..."

"But you didn't sign the marriage contract, right? If you didn't then we're fine..."

She was silent, and Switzerland closed his eyes and breathed slowly.

"Oh no...No, no, no, Lili, now I can't-" he flailed, disbelieving what he was hearing.

"It really doesn't matter. You'll all be as good as dead in a matter of minutes," said Gilbert, rummaging for his keys.

Switzerland could barely mutter, "What are you talking about?"

"It took me all that time just to tell her I love her...and he got engaged to her in less than half a day," he thought miserably.

"The Noppera are coming, and they're taking everything with them."

"The what?" muttered an annoyed Vash.

"The aliens," groaned Lili, torn inside at the look on Vash's face. "He never betrayed me...He only wanted to keep me. He loves me. I'm the one who betrayed him...And now I've ruined everything." She felt the place where her barely healed lips had been touched. Gil had stolen it from her. He'd stolen what belonged to Switzerland.

Suddenly the TV was on, and she shifted her gaze towards the screen.

Both of the nations were shocked by what they saw. As Prussia flicked from channel to channel, the stories were all the same.

It had began in America and had headed West to Japan, China, Russia, and others; and it was coming closer.

A freakish species called the Noppera who were turning humans and nations alike into themselves, were on the loose. They only had to watch for a minute before Prussia shut the television off.

"So you see, I get away, leave you here, and take the marriage contract with me. Adios."

Switzerland's mind scrambled for a solution, but it was Lili who called out.

"So this is how you cope?-!" she cried.

Prussia turned to face her. "What do you mean?"

"We've all dealt with unrequited love, Gilbert. We've all felt what it's like. Hungary still cares for you, and she's separating from Mr. Austria...but even if that weren't true, is this how you deal with your pain? By making us starcrossed lovers? We were friends once, don't you remember?"

She bared her arm and pulled up her tattered sleeve.

And there it was; though her circulation was nearly cut off, a tiny cloth bracelet whose threads had faded. Vash raised an eyebrow in question; he'd told her to cut that bracelet many times, but she'd always made a polite refusal. It was the only command of his she refused to obey.

Prussia's eyes softened for just a moment, and he lifted his own sleeve. It was still there.

"It's only because I was too lazy to cut it off," he thought begrudgingly, but nevertheless, it was still there.

"Mr. Pwussia?I mean, Gil?" she said softly, poking him in the back.

"What do you want, lil Princess?"

"I made this for you."

"Oh?"

She tied it tightly on his wrist. "It's a friendship bracelet."

"Oh...um...okay."

Suddenly he saw in her eyes the eyes of the four year old girl; they were still small and frightened as a child's, still so trusting and full of hope.

"What have I done?" he thought, wishing he'd never touched her.

"Please, Gil," she said softly, and bowed humbly before him. "Let us be happy. I'm sure someone will come someday who appreciates you."

"Yeah. Since there are about six female nations on the planet."

He sighed and shook his head.

"Freaky Belarus, that brat Seychelles, booby bounce Ukraine and that smart ass America. No. Eliza is the only one for me."

"Because," she said softly, and smiled, to Vash's horror and Prussia's puzzlement, "...you're awesome."

Prussia closed his eyes and grit his teeth, seemingly torn with indecision. Finally he just shook his head and muttered, "Whatever."

Gilbert pulled the contract from his back pocket and ripped it in two. "Have fun together. There's only room for one in the helicopter. There are deep dungeons in Germany where I can hide, but I doubt you'll make before it's too late."

In his mind he saw Elizaveta clutching Roderich, and was suddenly glad to leave Lili and Vash there to die. He'd been feeling guilty and had thought about cramming them in the helicopter, or just Lili, but now he was content.

The two of them would have one another; and that's all he'd ever wanted.

And with that he was gone. For real this time. Seriously.

Switzerland stared after him for only a moment, but he didn't waste any more time.

"Lili, we have to go now...the men, they can..." Suddenly the rumbling sound returned, and it was slowly increasing.

"Vash, even if we make it back to Switzerland, we can't resist their power..."

Switzerland's heart stopped dead at the thought of the Alps, his Alps, being turned into white nothingness.

"England," he muttered slowly. "England!"

His eyes lit up with recognition and he motioned to Lili. "Come on, get on my back...I have an idea but we have to get back to Switzerland, quickly!"

She moved silently and quickly, as she always did in a crisis, and mounted his shoulders. She shut her eyes tightly and clung to him with fear as he hurriedly rappelled down the three story tower. It was over before she knew it.

"Men, retreat! Move as fast as you can, quickly! There's an invasion coming from the East, you must get back to the borders or it will be too late!" he cried, then bolted to a jeep.

"Quick, get in," he said to Liechtenstein, then put the pedal to the medal. He was going well over eighty miles an hour on rough terrain, and Lili just shut her eyes in fear as they bumped over the dirt. When they finally reached his house, the army at their heels, the rumbling sound was getting closer. Lili could already see the mountains in the distance turning entirely white.

"Hurry!" Vash yelled, and sprinted through the door, up the stairs, down the hallway, into his room, and under the bed.

"Where is it...come on, come on," he muttered, as Lili just trembled in fear. "It's here somewhere, come on..." Guns, guns, playing cards, Swiss Army Knives, guns, socks, bullets, empty Swiss Miss canisters, guns, a plaque, the dictionary...was that Austria's glove? What the hell was it doing under his bed?-!

"Found it!" he yelled, and withdrew something that looked something like a glowstick, with a sticky note attached. "What is it?" asked Lili.

Vash was already headed out the door. "A birthday gift from England." He stopped a moment to face her. "Stay here, alright?"

"No, I'm coming with you."

"Lili, we don't have time-"

"If you get turned into an alien, I will too!"

He hesitated for a moment, then gave in and let her follow him. He ran back to the Jeep and weaved through the retreating army. Lili, who sat in the passenger seat, looked at him like he was crazy.

"Switzy, you're heading towards the Noppera!"

"I know," he said, gritting his teeth. "It's the only way."

They drove on until they were at the very border of Switzerland, only five feet away from it, and he slammed on the brakes. Vash got out, but Lili stayed and watched. Her hands shook in fear; the white wall was no more than a few miles away now and it was approaching quickly. In less than a minute it would be there.

"Ah, what was it?" fumbled Switzerland. "Lesse..." He referred to the post-it, and raised the glow stick.

"Vash, come on!" cried Lili, terrified for their lives.

He kneeled and dug a small hole, no more than an inch deep, in the earth, then stood and hastily recited,

"Blessed wand of Green Protection..."

"Vash, it's coming!" The trees were turning white, the fields, everything...she could see the wall coming closer and closer...

"Encase this land in all directions..."

"Hurry!" Less than a mile now.

"A wall to shield ev'ry enemy..."

"VASH!" Tears were streaming down her cheeks now. The wall was thirty feet away, twenty feet, ten feet...

"Till I command they shall proceed. So mote it be!"

Lili covered her eyes as the wall came fatally close. Switzerland dropped the glowstick and ran, ran with all his might...

Suddenly there was the sound of a huge explosion; Lili felt the Jeep being thrown back from the sheer force of a sudden wind.

Green light erupted from the glowstick, and the white light was deterred by its shine. The green spread like lightning, forming a protective border around the nation that extended into space within less than a second.

She opened her eyes slowly, and saw the strange, seemingly electric field in front of her, and Vash, on the ground.

"Switzy!" she cried, trying to get out of the Jeep, which was on its side now. She climbed upwards, gripping the leather seats, and tried desperately to free the door but hadn't enough strength. She placed her feet against the center console in between the two seats, and pushed up with all her weight, making the door open just a crack. Sweating, she hesitantly took her shoe with one hand, and used the other to hold the door up; then she placed the shoe in the crack and wedged it open. She climbed up further and squeezed herself between the dashboard and the car seat, pushing with all her might until finally enough of the door was open for her to crawl through. Her arms felt like jelly and she wished that she'd trained harder now.

She was eight feet off the ground from the top of the Jeep, and it took her a few moments to calm down and dismount.

"Vash!" she called, running to her fallen lover, who was lying on the ground, face buried in the grass.

"Vash?" she tried, tears forming, as she turned him over. His whole body, especially his face, was covered in dirt, his eyes closed.

"Oh no..." she cried, shaking him back and forth gently at first, then more and more violently. "Vash? Vash! Wake up, bruder, wake up! Please...this is all my fault!"

She sobbed miserably as he lay motionless; fearing what she would encounter, she placed her ear on his chest and listened for a heartbeat.

It was there.

She pressed a finger to his lips to feel for breath, and sighed in relief.

"He's still breathing..."

Lili scanned the area for signs of life. They'd left the house miles behind them, and there wasn't a soul in sight.

"The radio..." she murmured, but shook her head. It would be too late, and it was back in the car...She flung herself towards the back of the Jeep, and reached in the back hold.

She rummaged around through all the survival supplies that Switzerland always kept with him, and finally found the car jack.

Liechtenstein hated to dent a brand new Jeep, but it was already messed up anyway and Vash needed immediate care.

He could be dying...and it's all my fault!

There was a tiny crevice between the main body of the Jeep and the back frame; Lili shoved the jack in the hole, and began to lift the car. It tilted considerably, but still would not tip over entirely. She raced over to the other side and grabbed the suspended door, hanging from it with all her weight, until finally the Jeep tipped and came to the ground with a crash. She ripped the door open and pressed the intercom button on the radio.

"Hello? Hello?" she tried. She forgot how to use the thing...

If we survive this, I'm going to ask him to train me again and pay attention this time!

"Commander Zwingli, do you copy?" replied a voice. Lili's heart was pounding as she replied.

"No, it's me, Liechtenstein...Listen, Vash is hurt, he needs medical help right away."

"Roger. We'll track your position and be there shortly."

She shook her head. "I have to close the distance between us...He needs help as soon as he can get it."

Lili ran back to Vash, trembling, and attempted to lift him.

"Oof."

That wasn't going to work.

She hated to do this, but she approached his shoulders, wrapped her arms around them, and dragged him back to the Jeep, his head lolling, his gun clanking. She paused for a moment and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "You won't be needing this," she murmured, and cast the gun aside.

Trying to keep herself together, she clumsily brought the 150 pound, sheer muscle Swiss back to the car and opened the door, lying him down on the back seat.

By this point she was completely exhausted, her dress ashy and her face stained.

She paused a moment and looked at his face. Somehow, it looked serene as he lay there; his lips did not form a smile, but his eyebrows were not drawn. He almost looked calm as he sat there, if that was possible.

"Vash..." she murmured, brushing aside a strand of his hair. "I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry!" she sobbed, placing her head on his chest to hear his faint heartbeat.

"If it weren't for me, if I hadn't left, you'd have had plenty of time to do the spell and would be safe at home right now," she whispered, and shook her head.

"This may be the last time I see him alive," she thought morbidly.

"So serene..."

In the stillness of the Swiss haven, Lili found a moment of peace.

"I won't let him go."

She kissed him on the forehead, not wishing to taste his lips without his knowledge of it, though deep inside she wished for him badly.

Collecting herself, she got out of the backseat and headed for the driver's seat.

"Oh, goodness..." she said shakily. She hadn't done much driving; Vash didn't like it and it wasn't exactly legal for her yet. Not for a few months.

"Which one is gas...and brake? What does this do?" she thought, staring at the clutch.

"Guess I have to wing it..."

She turned the key in the ignition, and guessed which one was the gas.

"AUGGHHHH!"

The car lurched forward with unprecedented speed.

...

Switzerland opened his eyes hazily.

He was lying in a strange room; armory covered the walls, and he had been sleeping in a King size bed, the covers green.

"Vash? Vash!"

The girl looked young, and sweet. Her hair was neatly plaited down her back in two blonde braids. She was dressed elaborately, and had a bowl of soup in her hand. He tried to sit up, but found that his arm was tangled in an IV. He was sore all over, and had difficulty recalling much.

Lili had driven him over many miles, and though the ride had been bumpy, they'd made it halfway back before the medics had found them and taken him to the house, just in time. They'd had to perform CPR, because by the time he was indoors, he was no longer breathing.

The Noppera attacks raged on; rumor had it that the former Axis and Allied powers were banding together to try and save the planet, but no one knew for sure. England had called the house briefly to let Liechtenstein know that no one could leave the perimeter, or the barrier would fail; until someone left, however, they were safe from the Noppera. She confined everyone to their houses, taking temporary control of Switzerland, and prayed it would be over soon. She feared for her own people; she could not leave the land of eternal neutrality, and be there to comfort them. Luckily the Swiss were self sufficient, or enough so that everyone could eat without leaving the country, provided they were frugal.

She'd stayed at his bedside for a week now, waiting for him to come out of his coma. The doctors said that he'd suffered a serious concussion when he'd been thrown back by the explosion; he also suffered a serious spinal injury, and had a broken leg, as well as two broken ribs.

This is all my fault!

At the sight of his hazy emerald eyes, she let out a cry of joy, and could barely restrain herself from throttling him in happiness.

"Vash, you're alright!" she cried, tears forming. She clasped his hand with her own, his ring gracing her finger. They'd found it in his pocket. "I was so worried about you..."

He looked her over for nearly a minute, observing her with half interest. Her smile wavered a little.

"Vash...can you speak? Are you okay? Should I go get the doctor?"

There was another moment of silence, before finally he mumbled, "Wh-Who?"

She was confused and frightened at his voice, which sounded so...alien."Who?" she repeated in question.

"Who is Vash?" he asked.

Suddenly her heart fell to the pit of his stomach, and she could scarcely speak. Her hands grew cold and she felt like she herself was sick.

"Don't...Don't you remember? Vash is your name! You, you, you know that...you know what my name is, right? You remember me?"

"Who are you?"

The words were the most painful ones she had ever heard. She remembered Canada complaining to her once, long ago, that it was so hurtful when people always said, "Who are you? Who are you?" Even if they were close to him, they were always forgetting who he was, and making him feel insignificant. But she knew he'd never heard the words said in this way.

Switzerland blinked unknowingly, and simply repeated, "Who are you?"

A sob escaped her throat. "Vash...how can you not remember me?"

"I don't know you."

She cried openly now. "I'm...I'm Lili! You're fiancee? Don't you remember me?"

"Fiancee?" he questioned, his eyes covered with an unfeeling glaze.

She shook his hand violently. "Vash, come on, snap out of it! How can you not remember me? Don't you remember who you are?"

He said nothing.

Her loud wailing soon attracted the nurse, who called up the doctor immediately.

The world was suddenly full of commotion, doctors rushing to and fro, nurses panicking for equipment, but Lili heard and saw nothing; nothing but her beloved lying there, not even knowing her name. As they dragged her away, she felt as if the gap between them was widening not only in body, but in soul, and that she may never see him again in the same way.

...

"Broade Velka."

"What?-!"

Sarke cowered before the great lady. "Earth...the Noppera have been thwarted there."

She spit out her drink and stared at him like he was crazy.

"WHAT?-!"

"They found some way to divert them...they left in peace. If you wish to attack the planet now..."

The Broade shook her head in awe. "No one has ever survived a Noppera attack..." she sighed. "Well, if they could thwart them, they could thwart us."

"Not so, my lady. I have discovered a loophole," Sarke said steadily. A malicious glint of light danced in her eyes, and she said slowly, "What is it, Sarke? And it had better be good."

She grasped her trident firmly and Sarke gulped.

"The people of earth have very strange customs, varying upon region."

"And?"

"One of their traditions is to unite a mated pair publicly."

Velka snorted and chuckled. "They do it in front of everyone?"

Sarke shook his head. "No...I mean, it is the custom in most areas, though not all, to pick a mate for life and they have a formal ceremony of union publicly...though there is no...ah...mating involved at the ceremony. They call it a, 'wedding.'"

Velka shook her head. "Earth is a very weird planet...I hear they have mascot tribes, too, such an old practice..."

Sarke nodded vigorously. "That's just it," he said quickly. "Two of the mascot nations are to be wed in a year or so, do you realize what this means?"

Velka thought for a moment. "Enlighten me."

"All the other mascot nations will come to watch it, and they'll all be in one building..."

Velka's eyes widened. "Incredible...but their weapons?"

Sarke shook his head. "Apparently it's against custom to bring their weapons of mass destruction inside of the sacred edifice of which people are wed."

"Ha!" the Broade cried, leaping in victory. "We shall have them now! Earthlings and their stupid traditions, this will really do them in!"

Velka rubbed her hands together greedily, and pat Sarke on the head.

"Soon, my little attendant, we shall have a new home in our grasp."

Yeah the space people are cheesy but there are so many Trek and SW jokes I had to keep it all in there.

Hmm. *goes back to typing*

OH!

REVIEW PLLLLLEEEEAAASSSEEEEEEE I wrote a lot for you guys and I really appreciate it! THANXXXX


	6. The Wedding

**Somehow the italics died after email...sigh...so thoughts are unclear again.**

**AN:**  
><strong>PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS AN. IT'S IMPORTANT.<strong>  
><strong>I underlined important parts.<strong>  
><strong>Okay, got mixed feedback last chapter. Someone said they wanted me to describe the aliens more, so I will do so. Also, I know it seems really far fetched and a few people wanted more of the romance theme to come back, so I added much more romance to this chapter. Also, some people are worried that this is going to drag on forever and ever. Well not to worry, I have drafted this through to the end and there are only going to be two more chapters, including this one. THIS IS THE SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER. Well, there will be a short epilogue but I am not sure whether or not to make it a new chapter or add it on to the end of the last one. At this point, we are almost to three quarters of the way through the story but aren't quite there yet. Way past halfway though.<strong>  
><strong>To answer someone's question: (sorry I can't look up usernames, I can't access the net...have to do everything via phone and I have to mail things to my friend to get them published) I have NO clue what the people were smoking when they made "Paint it White." It was weird.<strong>  
><strong>Also the beginning of the this chapter may seem really cheesy, because of...well, you'll see. But...sigh I just have no skill when it comes to this sort of writing.<strong>  
><strong>You guys wanna know the truth? I fail in school at creative essays. My teachers say I have no imagination at all. I however excel at political writings and persuasive essays, and can prove virtually anything...plan to attend Harvard.<strong>  
><strong>So I have no creative skill. Apologies for the OOCnes, and such...<strong>  
><strong>Oh, a bunch of OCs are introduced in this chapter, and I apologize if I somehow create a Sue.<strong>  
><strong>I suck. I literally laughed when I read this at how bad it was, but the show goes on...<strong>  
><strong>As for AusHun and PruHun: sticking with magically making it both, though my ending may either anger AusHun fans or make them really happy.<strong>  
><strong>Depends on the type of person you are. There will be PruHun but I won't spend a lot of time on it.<strong>

**SONG CONTEST: Winners will not be announced until the end of the story. Voting is still open for "She Will Be Loved," by Maroon 5, and "I like you I love you," by Kagamine Rin. Please vote!**

**A few more notes, I'd appreciate it if you'd read:**  
><strong>Sorry that the chapters are so long, but I would rather have an eight chapter story with long chapters than 35 really short chapters, get my drift? There are too many of those on FF net. You don't have to read it all in one sitting. It'll be about the length of the average teen novel when I am done, so you can put it down and come back to it later.<strong>  
><strong>Lastly, some of you have been asking: why the aliens? Why not just stick with the classic love story and "7 days or marry" theme?<strong>  
><strong>I have two answers for you.<strong>  
><strong>The first is, love is too idealized, in movies, in books, and especially in fanfiction. Okay so there is a lot of turmoil but in the end, they get married, woohoo, they have a perfect lovey dovey life and have twin children or something like that. Predictable, and sadly, unrealistic.<strong>  
><strong>Love is complicated. It isn't that easy. Yeah the romance is great and cute at first, but there are problems down the road, and every couple deals with it differently.<strong>  
><strong>This chapter especially deals with the idea of couple thrown together in marriage too early, and before it could really be thought through properly.<strong>  
><strong>Happens all the time.<strong>  
><strong>And the question is, will they stick it out and keep their marriage alive, or will they break up? Know a bunch of kids that have divorced parents because they couldn't work it out.<strong>  
><strong>Also deals with fear and traumatic experience from things like rape (also know kids who suffer from that) Oh BTW, this chapter is VERY T RATED. Things like that aren't just interesting stories, they are true feelings that can scar a person and leave them damaged, man or woman.<strong>  
><strong>And the second reason is that after examining Hetalia further, I realized that even though we make fun of all ethnicities in it, and it's primarily humor, I think it has the power to unify people. That was a big theme in the very strange, "Paint it White." We spend too much time bickering amongst each other.<strong>  
><strong>The character of Switzerland is an interesting way to bring this out; he has no love for everyone's stupidity and tries to stay indifferent to the world. But when the world is in trouble, can he see the good in people and make an effort to save them, or will he just let them suffer since they brought a good deal of it on themselves?<strong>  
><strong>Lots of Star Trek implications come to mind...*suppresses annoying fangirl side of self* cough, never mind.<strong>  
><strong>Anyways, hope you guys see the message I put in this story, please don't skip over any parts, and I apologize for the cheesy alien scene. I just suck at writing but I try to put a purpose to it.<strong>  
><strong>After this chapter, I am going to repeat this little segment of the AN and ask you all if you think I did a good job portraying this message or if I utterly failed and ruined the story. Honesty is the trait I appreciate most.<strong>  
><strong>Flames totally welcome. Have a good read!<strong>

Anyways, on with the story.

Fritz, also known as Boss Swiss, was surprised at the figure that sat before him.  
>He'd always thought of her as an irritating distraction, something that kept Vash back from being in complete control of himself; but seeing the thin, yet strong form of Liechtenstein, he was beginning to have new ideas.<br>"I have my entire medical team working on him, but they can't seem to make any progress," she said softly. Fritz nodded gravely; Liechtenstein was surprisingly high tech, and had a very good staff of doctors on duty in Switzerland. Normally Ms. Monaco dealt with these sort of things, but the green shield kept her people from entering the neutral nation. Unfortunately, Vash just wasn't going anywhere.  
>"The people have been very distraught," she whispered.<br>The boss nodded and said, "The mascots and their people have a very close bond. The worse the mascot feels, the worse the people feel; and when the people of a nation are at war with another, the mascot becomes aggressive towards the enemy mascot." He shrugged. "Really, much of your feelings are determined by how your people feel; it's the rite you underwent in the arena. The people of Liechtenstein and Switzerland have been petitioning for unification for quite some time...furthering your attraction to one another."  
>Lili blushed at this, but could not say much. Seeing Vash the way he was had changed her; it was so shocking to see him in the condition he was, so painful to know he didn't remember who she was, though they'd spent much of their lives together.<br>"Maybe we should be married immediately," Lili said softly, "so that we are one and I can care for his people."  
>Fritz sighed. It was time. He now had a lot more respect for the girl, but she could never be Switzerland. Besides...when he saw that face, he saw a lot of good, and kindness in it, despite the evident hardship she'd experienced. To be eternally neutral, eternally on edge...he could make her that way, but he didn't want to. Such beautiful personalities weren't meant to be hardened. Now Fritz understood why Zwingli valued her so; she was a breath of fresh air, a welcome relief from the terrible burden of being the trigger happy nation.<br>"I know a girl who may be able to help," Fritz lied. "There is no need to marry him yet," he said simply. "I will find this girl and bring her back here."  
>"No use in telling her now," the boss thought wearily.<br>Liechtenstein surged with hope.  
>"Good...I want to marry him because he wishes to, not because he has to. She can really help? I'm so worried for him," she said, trying to hide the emotion in her voice. She was doing her best to stay calm.<br>Fritz nodded reluctantly. "She's pretty good. I'll be back in a week or so, alright?"  
>Lili raised an eyebrow. "A week? You aren't leaving the border, are you?"<br>Fritz shook his head. "Nope. She's just...hard to find."  
>"It's time to get Alessandra. Vash is lost to us," thought Fritz, who inwardly felt a little sad. The boy had grown on him.<p>

"Young Miss?"  
>Lili stared at him in disbelief.<br>"Vash, stop calling me that. It's Lili."  
>He was silent, and she only shook her head in sorrow. He'd been like this a full week now, scarcely remembering her, or what had happened the day before. Switzerland could vaguely remember his distant past; he spoke of times they'd had together when they first met, and of Roderich and his mother, but he could not remember any of his friends by name. Except, that is, for Alessandra.<br>Alessandra, Alessandra! That was all he ever spoke of, he whispered her name in his sleep, when he ate, whilst he roamed the hallways...he talked about her so much that Lili soon grew to resent the sound of her name.  
>"Alessandra, don't go!" he would cry.<br>"But he can't remember me," she thought in woe, "he can't remember that he loves me."  
>Often Vash would confuse Lili and Alessandra, and start calling Liechtenstein by that name.<br>"I remember, Young Miss," he murmured.  
>"Remember what?" she murmured, not convinced. He was still calling her that dreadfully impersonal title.<br>"I remember walking through the street with a girl...she thought she looked like a boy so I bought her a hair ribbon, because I felt bad for her."  
>Lili didn't perk at all. This had been happening all week.<br>"That was me, Vash."  
>"No, it wasn't!"<br>"Yes, it was."  
>"No, it wasn't!"<br>Lili was patient. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, when she heard Vash murmur, "That girl was beautiful."  
>Lili shut her eyes. "Oh," she whispered hoarsely. "And I'm not, that's right," she choked.<br>He cocked his head to the side a little, as if pondering this. "You're pretty too...but you're my sister."  
>Lili opened her eyes slowly. He meant Alessandra, he had to. She sighed and whispered in defeat, "Yes, Ni-San."<br>Suddenly Switzerland was stock still. She stared at him with concern.  
>"Oh Lord, please, not a stroke!" she thought desperately. "Vash? What is it?-!"<br>"Say that again."  
>"What is it?"<br>"No, before that."  
>She thought a moment.<br>"Ni-Ni-San?"  
>He blinked a few times, staring blankly, then looked at her with a fiery intensity.<br>"Ni-San?" she whispered again.  
>"Liechtenstein?"<br>She put her hands to her mouth and nearly couldn't believe it. "Bruder...do you-"  
>"Wait," he said, then stared at his hands, opening and closing them. He looked all around, then shook his head in disbelief.<br>"I remember everything...Lili! The green light, Prussia, everything, I remember!"  
>"Oh, Vash, thank God!" she embraced him with all her strength, tears streaming down her cheek. She rocked him back and forth, whispering, "You came back...you came back to me..."<br>Vash's head was spinning, and in a daze he remembered their relationship. "Let me see your hand-you're wearing it?"  
>"Of course? How couldn't I?-!" she sobbed, joy flowing through her veins. He'd come back, he'd really come back, he would marry her, everything was going to be alright!<br>She put her head in her hands and wept, wept for his loss, for his return, for her pain, her sorrow, and her joy. She'd barely slept since he'd been gone and was on the edge of hysteria.  
>He held her there, tightly, for nearly a minute, when suddenly, his arms went limp. She didn't notice at first.<br>"Why are you crying?" he asked.  
>"I-I'm so happy-"<br>"But don't you normally cry when you're sad?"  
>An alarm bell went off silently in her head. Slowly, she looked up at him and saw the most horrific sight she'd ever seen.<br>A blank stare.  
>"Vash-"<br>"Vash?"  
>"No, no, God, please no, no-" she thought in terror. "Young Miss, why are you-"<br>"Shit!" she screamed, cussing for the first time in her life. She burst into a fresh wail, and threw her chair down at the floor. Vash cowered under the covers like a frightened rabbit, and the sight of that angered her for some unknown reason. Hysteria had finally come. She began to beat the wall with the chair, screaming and crying with insanity.  
>"If he's going to be stuck a lunatic his whole life, he'll make me one too and I'll join him!"<br>"Young Miss, stop it! I remember!"  
>"You remember what?-!" she cried, gnashing her teeth in a fury of emotion she could no longer put a label on. "Do you remember me, your finacee?-!-!-!" she screamed.<br>He cowered again. "You're not my-"  
>"WHYY?-!" She gave up. In that one moment, she gave up. She fell to the floor and didn't want to rise anymore.<br>He had been her world, fallen away in false doubt, and had come back for her in strength. Everything had been in place; but now he was insane, her world was destroyed yet again, and it was all her fault. There was silence for a moment, except for the sound of stifled sobs.  
>"How could this possibly happen to us? After everything we've been through?"<br>She wouldn't have been half so hysterical if it hadn't been her fault.  
>And then, there came the wail. A wail that would be remembered throughout history. Some people still remember hearing her cry, and they'll attest to you that it was the longest, loneliest sound they'd ever experienced.<br>Vash stared at her in confusion, shuddering, and silently whispered, "but-but-I remember."  
>Liechtenstein sighed, her voice hoarse with sorrow. "Remember what, Vash?"<br>"A kiss."  
>Lili froze. A kiss?<br>They'd never kissed...so far all his memories had been accurate, though they were from times long past.  
>Vash had already kissed somebody? She didn't want to know. She didn't want to know!<br>She nearly put her hands to her ears but he was already speaking.  
>"She was the same girl from the marketplace...so pretty."<br>Oh. Thank heavens. "You mean on the cheek, then," she sighed. She didn't see him shake his head, because she was looking at the floor.  
>"No," he mumbled.<br>She furled her eyebrows, still not looking at him. "Where then?"  
>He blushed. "It's embarrassing."<br>"It's okay, I won't tell her."  
>"Promise?"<br>She shook her head in remorse, barely able to contain the tears. "Sure."  
>He paused and said. "I-I was wrong. I stole her first kiss and she didn't even know."<br>He fidgeted with his hands and Lili's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" she said rapidly.  
>He shrunk away and said, "Nuh uh," like a child.<br>"Vash-"  
>"I feel so guilty..."<br>She barely had any strength, but she persisted. "The truth will set you free," she said.  
>"She...she was asleep and she was so pretty," he said, voice full of shame. He began to whine and hid under the covers. "I was mad at myself," he mumbled, but she didn't hear him.<br>"Oh...Oh Vash..."  
>The jumbled memories of Prussia came to her and suddenly she was different.<br>Gil hadn't stolen it from her.  
>"Vash!" She hugged him tightly through the covers, still sobbing in agony, and wondered if she'd ever be able to kiss him again.<p>

"All we have to do now is wait," she whispered to herself.  
>The preparations were complete; the ship had been rigged to capture, the holds had been prepared. The Lingkon men would exit the holds, capture the mascots, and whisk them away. Velka wasn't sure what killing them would do, and she wanted to observe the effects from above and possibly get information out of them first, especially the one called America. He'd befriended other alien races before, and she was curious about his knowledge.<br>The warlady was surprisingly small; she stood only seven tendrits tall, but one could not judge by appearances. She had lead several successful campaigns on Delta Vega, was notorious among the Lingkon race, and was a well established nuisance to the Federates.  
>She sighed in annoyance. Earth was of interest to the Federation; taking it would be easy if things went according to plan, but defending it from the Federates would be another story. The Lingkons had been searching for a new base for years, after the destruction of Alderaan; Velka hoped that Earth would be the perfect place to launch. They'd have to get rid of all the humans living there, though; it would be dangerous and annoying to let them live. Unfortunately, killing intelligent life was considered "immoral," to the Federates, and they would not be happy with Velka. A crooked smile appeared on her face. She could practically smell battle already, and she looked forward to it with great anticipation.<br>"Great Broade."  
>Sarke was a tall, bitter Lingkon. His skin was the typical pale white; but he had a scar running the length of his face, a result of a small quarrel with Velka. Her skills with a sabre were frightening; she was able to move so quickly that you almost couldn't see her when she moved. You would look at her, blink, and she'd be behind you. Sabre fighting was old and out of practice, but Velka enjoyed the hobby greatly and was the best in the sector.<br>His hair was combed rather neatly for a Lingkon; the other, militaristic people aboard the ship often made fun of him for it, as their long braids were tied down their backs. But Sarke knew how to manage things, and as a result, he was the attendant Velka had kept longest out of them all. It was a dangerous job that could get you killed, but the pay was good, and the promise of spoils of war was enough for him. Since his skill within the military was about zilch, his assistance to Velka got him his income without him ever having to pick up a phaser.  
>"What is it? I wish to be alone, so be snappy," she mused.<br>"I've received news that we could launch the invasion sooner, if you wish."  
>Velka lifted her head from her hand. She was pleased at this; she was becoming restless from sitting around doing nothing all day, every day, and the idea of waiting six more months for the wedding of Spain and Austria made her groan.<br>"How is this possible?"  
>"Two other mascot nations have decided to be wed at a sooner date; in one week, actually."<br>"Really? Which two nations are these?"  
>Sarke looked at his data reader.<br>"Let's see...the ones called Switzerland and Liechtenstein."

Switzerland looked at himself in the mirror one more time before heading out to the stage; he let out a huge sigh of nervousness.  
>He was dressed in the traditional Swiss Coat of Arms; it was quite similar to his normal outfit, but with more adornments and much heavier. He'd wanted to keep the gun slung across his back but the preacher dude wouldn't let him bring firearms in the chapel. Vash frowned; stupid Germanian descendant...<br>Roderich was waiting on the altar, and Lili was getting ready in her chambers. The ceremony was about to begin.  
>He stared at his reflection, green eyes bent in their usual frown, the large label of the Swiss cross proudly embroidered into his sleeve.<br>It was his wedding day.  
>For once, it wasn't too hard to form a smile with his lips.<br>He was about to step out on stage when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Vash sighed when he saw who it was.  
>"What are you doing here?" he groaned.<br>His boss shrugged. "We never got to talk."  
>"If you didn't notice, I'm kind of busy at the moment."<br>"You have five minutes."  
>Vash sighed and was tempted to assault his boss, but refrained. "Well make it quick."<br>"It's about Alessandra."  
>Switzerland stopped in his tracks. "What...What about her?"<br>"She's gone insane."  
>Vash closed his eyes, and tried to push the plain faced girl from his mind. "Being chained in a vault like that for years...I understand why," he said quietly. "Not like that. She's lost all recollection of who she is."<br>Switzerland paused and turned to face his boss, eyes full of question.  
>"You don't mean-" he began.<br>"We can't know for sure. You say that your memories were back one morning, and you didn't have any hesitation? Everything returned at the same time?" asked the boss. "Yes. The doctors were dumbfounded," Vash replied. "It was on the same day the Noppera left and we lowered the borders."  
>The boss shrugged. "That's why we keep the tributes. There's a link between all the counterparts we don't quite understand..."<br>"How long has she been like this?" Swiss asked.  
>The boss paused a moment. "How long do you think?"<br>Vash put a hand to his heart and felt for a moment. "...a few months? Since I recovered?"  
>"Dead on. She went out the instant you got better."<br>"I knew there was something wrong when I came back...I feel less...like I was. It must be because of her," thought Vash.  
>Lili had noticed that he wasn't exactly the same person when he came back, but she couldn't help but love him anyway. He'd been less careful, and occasionally...less considerate. But it had only been about sixth months, and he'd had to be at a rehab center for a while until he regained his former strength. They hadn't spent much time together at all.<br>"I tell you, there's a link between the counterparts! And to think I almost went and got her-" Boss faltered and did not finish.  
>Swiss' eyes narrowed. "Went and got her?"<br>The boss was silent.  
>"You were going to replace me?"<br>"What choice did I have, Zwingli? Besides, I had to get Maria out of the vault."  
>"Maria?"<br>"The counterpart for Spain...as a courtesy to Austria, they were to be wed, not Antonio and Roderich."  
>Vash raised an eyebrow. "How long can we keep fooling people? They are going to find out at some point."<br>The boss sighed. "People are strangely into equality these days. But there is great danger in keeping both out at the same time..."  
>Vash smiled crookedly at the irony.<br>"His first was named Maria...huh."  
>"His first?"<br>Swiss shrugged. "He fell in love with a local flutist when we were young...her name was Maria. But she died early, even for a human."  
>The boss sighed. "Falling in love with ordinary people is dangerous..."<br>The mascot's senses of time are so different than that of an ordinary human, that a lifetime for one of them could be only a few months to a mascot, depending on the state of the country.  
>Switzerland shook his head, wondering why his boss always explained stuff he already knew, then thought for a moment.<br>"Why couldn't Austria's counterpart come out so that he could stay with Hungary?"  
>"Hah! Don't be ridiculous, Zwingli. They couldn't all be wed like that, and Boss Austria needs to be free of Hungary's influence. God only knows, their child will be very dangerous. Besides, the female Austria is absolutely worthless, and I do believe Roderich gets all his finicky aristocratic ways from her. We couldn't give her the rite, Austria would be doomed to be invaded and destroyed. Maria, on the other hand, nearly equals Antonio in his worthlessness. Give me a break, Zwingli, you know marriages are for political power when you're royalty or mascot. Don't let the Americans make you think any different. You got lucky Liechtenstein conveniently loves you." "Tell me...why don't the other nations know? Why can't they know their counterparts are alive?" Vash asked.<br>The boss sighed. "They're worried about both being killed off at the same time...and there are other reasons. They aren't good ones, really...but the other nations cannot, under any circumstance, be informed of their counterparts' existence. Excluding America of course, and now Spain. You didn't tell Lilian did you?"  
>Vash shook his head. "No. I've been tempted a few times," he admitted. "But she still thinks Ralph is dead."<br>The Swiss boss stared at him with scrutiny. "How do you know what his name is?"  
>Vash closed his eyes in regret at his slip. "We've talked about it, I'll confess. But she doesn't know about the vault."<br>There was still a look of distrust in the boss' eyes as he watched Switzerland's face.  
>"She'd better not," he said in a low voice, then headed out to the pews and took his seat.<p>

Peter stared at the figure of Liechtenstein and sighed. It was sad, really.  
>"Knock knock?" he said, standing at the door with a bouquet in his hands.<br>"Oh, Sealand!" said Lili, jumping a little. "You...you scared me. I'm sorry, come right in."  
>Peter frowned at the sight of her face. There were freshly wiped tears streaming down her cheeks. He handed her the flowers awkwardly and said, "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have intruded..."<br>"Oh, no! I'm alright," she said, stifling a sniffle. "Are...you okay?"  
>"Yeah. I don't know why I was crying, heh..."<br>She looked at herself in the mirror, and Peter couldn't help but sigh a little.  
>Her dress was very simple; it had two low set half-sleeves, and drew in very tightly at the waist. The train was no more than two feet in length, lay in small heap on the floor. Golden embroidery was stitched down the front, with beads sewn into the fabric. It was so pale, so thin, and it fit her form to perfection; it had an elegant simplicity to it, one that matched Lili in personality and grace.<br>The veil was a different story; it was the most elaborate beadwork he had ever seen, wrapped into two spheres on opposite sides of her head, intertwined with her hair into a very royal fashion; a thin piece of transparent cloth hung down from the headpiece, embroidered lace bordering it, covering her delicate face.  
>"I thought you weren't coming," said Lili softly.<br>"Arthur dragged me," Sealand murmured, then felt like smacking himself. That was rude. The reason he hadn't wanted to go was...well...  
>He was only three years younger than Lili, and he had to admit she was cute. But every time he'd tried to get near her, Zwingli had stared him down and he'd had to back off. In all honesty, he couldn't believe she was going to get married to him. Neither could anybody else.<br>News of their marriage had spread like a tidal wave across the world; no one could believe the former siblings had ever felt for each other in that way. To be truthful, there was quite a bit of scandal at the news of the wedding, and vicious stories were circling in the tabloids, especially in England and America.  
>Peter had shrugged and just accepted the fact in sadness when he heard. Lili and Lithuania were really the only ones who ever paid him any respect; and now she was being married to somebody else. But he had figured that she must really love Swiss; she always spoke of him as if he were some god, and he supposed that since she was grown now, her love had matured.<br>However, seeing her in a flustered state of tears, he was beginning to have different ideas.  
>"I meant, I...I just couldn't believe you were getting married and all..." Peter stumbled, annoyed with his own rudeness. Lili shook her head. "It's okay...I can't either."<br>She took deep breaths, smelling the bouquet and biting her lip.  
>"Are you sure you're okay?" said Peter, taking her arm. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."<br>She looked at him and smiled. "It's alright. I'm just...I'm so young, I feel a little unprepared. We didn't date for very long, that's all."  
>Sealand raised an eyebrow. "How long did you date?"<br>Lili blushed. "Umm...one day, I guess...yeah. Then he had to be at a rehab center after he got sick, and he just got out Wednesday...and with the preparations and all, we didn't get to see each other and..." she trailed off at the look of shock on Sealand's face.  
>"But...how can you do this? How can you know it'll all work out?-! You're only fifteen!" Peter protested. She smiled somberly and nodded, then looked out the window and sighed, "But I love him, Peter. I can't ever forget that he took me in when he was starving and couldn't even feed himself. We've lived together for so long, and I...somehow I know it'll all work out."<br>She turned around and clasped his hand, her smile growing wider. "You know what?" she said, her grin becoming contagious.  
>"What?" asked a still glum Sealand.<br>She started to giggle, then twirled around in a circle, clutching her skirts. Peter blushed and didn't know what to say.  
>"I'm getting married!" she laughed, then looked him in the eye. "And even if I'm a little scared, I've never been so happy in all my life."<p>

Switzerland stepped through the door and out onto the stage; a grown Holy Rome glared at him. Then again, Holy Rome glared at everyone; he hadn't been doing very well lately. He hadn't been independent for years, and had alternately stayed with Austria, Germany, Italy (this wasn't a joy anymore-he'd realized Italy's true sex by now. And it was embarrassing to remember he'd been unknowingly in love with a boy for so long-he preferred to stay with Romano) and whoever else would house him. Unfortunately he had to perform nearly everyone's nuptials because of his high Catholic status, and had never taken a wife for himself. Nowadays he called himself, "Vatican City," but the name Holy Rome seemed to stick.  
>Roderich gave his typical nod, standing to the left of the altar.<br>Nearly the whole world had come into the chapel to witness the union of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The United Nations and the former Axis Powers sat up front, Italy smiling like an idiot and Japan seeming disappointed that Vash wasn't the one wearing a dress.  
>The music began to play, and his heart nearly stopped dead with anticipation; he hadn't seen Lili all week. She'd hidden her dress and not said a word about her appearance, so that he'd be completely surprised when she walked down the aisle.<br>The song seemed like it would last a lifetime, and finally, she emerged alone from the heavy set of double doors. There was a gasp of awe at the petite figure.  
>The dress was so simple, the whole of her so tiny, yet elegant.<br>Switzerland only had to look at her for a second to realize that she had sewn the dress herself.  
>She walked in alone, the short train rustling behind her, and a smile on her face. Nobody said a word; but the same thought was on everyone's mind.<br>They're so young.  
>It was sweet, in a way.<br>Vash stood in awe of her there on the altar, and she nearly laughed at his expression. He stood with his shoulders back and hands clasped in front of him, heavy coat surrounding him; but though his stance was one of traditional Swiss militarism, his face was starstruck.  
>He reminded her of the teenage boys at the mall after Ms. Fox had walked by. The look of complete idolization and the stare they'd adopted, one that just took in as much as one could, paralleled Vash's expression. He was nearly gawking.<br>Then he caught her smile at his reaction and his face instantly returned to sternness, a forced frown upon his lips, which caused her to let out a laugh.  
>There was silence throughout the chapel as everyone listened; her laugh was sweeter than that of the breeze of an early autumn wind.<br>A precious bride of only fifteen.  
>Then Ms. Hungary was there, standing in the doorframe. Roderich raised an eyebrow; he hadn't seen her in months, for she'd been secluding herself and refused to come out of Hungary, ever since her attempted negotiations with Austria's boss had failed ...<br>What on earth?  
>She was clad with a white dress, flowers in her hair and a bouquet in her hands, but most stunningly of all...She was full with child! Instantly there were murmurs throughout the room.<br>Roderich couldn't help but gasp a little; they'd been divorced six months, but she looked as if she were in her final stage of pregnancy, which could only mean...  
>This was supposed to be Vash's moment, he knew, but he couldn't help but mutter, "Oh, God..."<br>Holy Rome rolled his eyes and looked at his watch.  
>Hungary stood beside her friend and held her hand with a wink.<br>Next came Sealand, bearing the rings for the engaged after being dragged to the wedding by Arthur, and two small flower girls, one Swiss and one from Liechtenstein; they began to sprinkle petals, ignoring her dress, for her train was too short to be carried.  
>The music began again, and slowly Liechtenstein walked towards her beloved, the strict look never leaving his face, inwardly making her smile;<br>the bottom corner of his lip was twitching.  
>Liechtenstein couldn't help but wonder if this was all some wonderful dream. So much had happened in so little time; though it had been only a little while since Vash had recovered, it felt as if no time had gone by at all. The girl who had woke up on her fifteenth birthday was an entirely different girl now; they'd matured so much, in their relationship and individually, since then.<br>She felt dizzy as she ascended those three little steps on the altar. Holy Rome's eyes bored into her, but they didn't bother her. At that moment, she felt as if she were somewhere else.  
>And suddenly Swiss was taking her hand and saying his vow. His brow was still drawn in a straight line, eyes so serious she noted Rome staring at the floor in discomfort as he recited the liturgy. But Swiss' lip was so wobbly that Lili had to restrain herself from giggling.<br>"Straight out of a fairy tale," she thought dizzily. She barely comprehended Vash talking: she saw only his lips moving, and to this day she still can't remember it clearly.  
>"...as long as you both shall live?" Suddenly the spotlight was on her. She'd been in a wonderful daze and had barely realized what was going on.<br>"W-what?" she murmured.  
>There was the sound of faint whispers as Holy Rome repeated the vow, and Vash nearly looked worried. Peter wondered in agony if she'd back out last minute.<br>"Oh," she whispered. She smiled and shook her head as she whispered, "I can't believe this is happening."  
>And with that, his glare disappeared. Vash couldn't help himself as his frown melted all at once into a smile, and into an actual laugh.<br>Suddenly he was laughing as he never had before (which means a chuckle) and the chapel was silent.  
>"Veh, that's creepy!" Feliciano whined. Hungary just smiled and Germany leaned to whisper in Italy's ear, "I didn't know he was capable of smiling..."<br>Her soft voice carried throughout the chapel. "I do."  
>The words echoed down the hall, and Vash's hands were trembling as he reached for the thin veil that covered her face.<br>She closed her eyes, taking a quick breath as she felt the material rise from her face; it came off slowly, for his hands were shaking very badly now and he almost looked like he wanted to cry he was so nervous.  
>With the consent of Holy Rome, he shakily put a hand on her cheek and drew her near to him, ready to complete their vows, but suddenly they halted.<br>She looked him in the eye, and there was unspoken communication between the two; only six inches from one another, they were deadlocked and did not move.  
>The tension was so stiff, one could have cut it with a knife; all the nations were holding their breath.<br>Why were they waiting?  
>Even Germany was on the edge of his seat, forgetting the strange sound he had thought he'd heard a moment ago. "It almost sounds like a chopper," he had thought vaguely, but it was forgotten now.<br>Vash blinked, and came to terms with her in that moment. He sighed, and slowly closed his eyes, after a nod from Lili. Slowly he finished approaching his bride.  
>Holy Rome almost rolled his eyes as he repeated impatiently, "You may now kiss the-"<br>Suddenly there was the sound of great splintering of wood, and Hungary screamed shrilly as a part of the roof crashed right next to Sealand, who was standing behind her.  
>THUD.<br>There was a universal cry of panic, all the nations staring in disbelief and jumping out of their seats. Dust was everywhere, and vision was limited.  
>The Swiss were always were hired as security guards whenever the nations convened in one place, no matter the occasion. They were the only ones who could be trusted. But nothing could have prepared them for this.<br>The security men surrounding the perimeter lifted their machine guns and aimed at the foreign vehicles, but it was no use.  
>"What-on-earth?" Holy Rome muttered in disbelief.<br>They were gazing through a gaping hole in the roof, and hovering above them was some strange alien craft, huge and foreboding. Metal claws extended from the ship, and one held the former roof in its grasp.  
>"Is this some kind of a sick joke?-!"<br>Suddenly there was a huge panic as nations and people raced for the exits, but there was a great thud as a gigantic net landed around the perimeter, another projection from the massive alien ship.  
>"Is it the Noppera again?" Japan asked America.<br>"No...someone else. Look!"  
>Aliens had descended from the ship, strange, white skinned creatures, and they were roping people up. Germany could only watch in horror as they bound Italy and took him away. He protested with all his might and brutally attacked the kidnapper, but wound up being taken himself.<br>"Omigod, Lingkons! This is like something out of one of my horror movies! Ahh, scary!" America cried, shortly before he was forced to lash out at several of the terrifying creatures. But there were too many, and soon, he too was captured and taken back to the ship. He wrestled with with the Lingkon as he was dragged away, but called out loudly to Vash, "Zwingli!"  
>Their eyes met.<br>"Get...Get Tony!" America struggled, trying to keep the alien from gagging him. "And...Rachel...! They know the Lin-mghmph!" And then he was no longer in sight.  
>The sound of hysteria was the most terrifying thing Lili had ever heard. She stared at Vash, petrified and unsure what to do, feeling terribly vulnerable, but he did not return her gaze. His eyes were like slits and they rapidly scanned the chapel, assessing the situation.<br>"Lingkons?" he murmured in question.  
>Yet again he had turned feverishly practical.<br>"Vash!" she screamed as another claw landed nearby and ripped out the sidewall of the church.  
>"Vash, help-"<br>And suddenly he was gone. Lili could scarcely believe her eyes.  
>"He's...he's running away?"<br>"Vash, wait!" she cried. "Don't leave me!"  
>But he didn't even turn to face her as he bolted under a pew.<br>Tears streamed from her eyes and she fell in a crumple to the floor. How could he run away and leave her there? She saw Sealand's legs kicking in the air as he was dragged away and a muffled sob escaped her lips.  
>"The little ones too..." Even now she feared for others and not herself.<br>Holy Rome stood frozen, his mouth agape with horror as he watched the nations being rounded up like cattle then sucked back into the ship.  
>Lili watched her now husband through tear stained eyes, and realized he was tugging at something from under the pew.<br>"What is he doing?" she thought, trying to avoid looking at her screaming friends. She had just seen the last Swiss security guard be shot down, his body quickly confiscated so that nobody could use his weapon.  
>Vash had told her all her life of bloody wars she would be keen to avoid; but only now did she fully comprehend the horror of death, the cries of human struggle and the smell of pure fear. The most wonderful moment of her life had quickly turned to the most scarring thing she had ever experienced. Her delicate mind, her refined mannerisms, they were not tailored for the gore she was witnessing. She'd never seen a man be killed before, but now, it was happening all around her.<br>Finally Vash emerged from the pew, something slung over his back. He ran back to Lili, and she realized it was an emergency survival pack, and in his arms...  
>a machine gun.<br>Holy Rome managed to frown. "You illegally smuggled firearms in the chapel?-!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up. Vash shrugged as he cocked the gun.  
>"I'm Swiss. What do you expect? You can never be too careful," he said casually, as if nothing was wrong, while he watched a Lingkon reach down and snatch Holy Rome away. "Never know when aliens are going to abduct everybody in the church," he thought begrudgingly.<br>Lili shrieked and Vash motioned to her.  
>"Get under me!" he shouted, and raised the gun warily.<br>"Vash...shoot them, shoot them, they're taking our friends!"  
>He shook his head. "No, they're too powerful! We can only defend ourselves or we'll all be lost!" he shouted, knowing he had no chance attacking the aliens directly. The deceased security guards were proof of that.<br>Broade Velka chuckled at it all. "Say, didn't you tell me it's against custom to bring weapons in the sacred buildings?" she asked Sarke.  
>He nodded. "Yes, milady."<br>"Then what's with that one? He seems to have some primeval phaser thing," she said, pointing at Vash, amused by the whole thing.  
>"That is the one called Switzerland. He is extremely cautious."<br>"Oh, you told me about him. He's the one who refuses to take sides on anything, and was unscathed by the Noppera attacks, correct?"  
>"Yes, mistress."<br>She leaned back in her chair and smirked. "I like his style," she murmured. "Not an idiot like all those other tribes. Say...it would be a shame to obliterate their entire species in their natural habitat; their larger weapons are something to be admired, though they are crude. He's a master of weaponry, is he not? We could set up a reservation...providing we tightly censor what weapons he gets- he never likes to leave that mountain range of his anyway. And it would make the Federation happier if we preserved some human life."  
>"Do you have something in mind, mistress?"<br>"Hmm." She flicked her hand carelessly. "Spare him. Only him," she murmured.  
>"As you will," was his reply.<br>Back on the ground, there was the sound of a horrible scream. A claw had reached for Lili, but Vash grabbed her arms and tore her away, causing there to be horrible slashes all over her back. She began to wail from the incredible pain, and Vash threw her to the floor in rash haste.  
>A Lingkon man reached for her and brandished his phaser, but before he could do anything Vash let loose, putting at least twenty bullet holes in the alien's chest. Lili screamed uncontrollably and sobbed as well, clutching her hands to her head.<br>He...He killed him...  
>She was glad he killed the alien, but still...the sight of the creature on the ground, bleeding profusely...she put a hand over her mouth and became hysterical.<br>The world is ending on my wedding day...  
>Switzerland paid no attention but crouched above her and instinctively bared his teeth, safety off, fingers on the trigger.<br>Hungary, meanwhile, had fled to Roderich's arms. Lili cried out with all her might and tried to run to them as an alien strangled Roderich and dragged the very pregnant Hungary away, but Vash stopped her.  
>"Vash, let me go, we have to help them!" she cried, kicking and clawing, but for all the strength she could muster it only took a small effort from him to restrain her.<br>"Lili, no, I'm not going to lose you, get down and don't move!"  
>"But they're our friends, you have to try!" "Just get down or you'll get yourself killed!"<br>For lack of a better idea, he threw her on the ground and sat on her to keep her from moving.  
>He shook his head as he kept the rifle cocked.<br>It's for her own good.  
>Lili sobbed miserably as she watched the poor couple be sucked back with the other nations, and realized that soon they'd be taken as well or be the only ones left. She closed her eyes in fear, wishing now that this really was a dream.<br>Vash looked through the scope but realized that there was a strange dampness on his arm, and he was taken aback.  
>Blood?<br>It was the arm he'd held Liechtenstein back with. "Mein Gott," he said under his breath, and looked at the girl.  
>She'd passed out, and only did now did he realize just how serious her wounds were, her satin white wedding dress turning crimson.<br>"Broade?"  
>"Hmm?"<br>"We have a problem."  
>"What may that be?"<br>"The Swiss is guarding another nation."  
>The great warlady frowned. "I thought he refuses to side with anyone."<br>Sarke shrugged. "Normally, that is true. But this is his mate, I suppose he has special sentiment for her. They were the pair to be wed today."  
>Velka sighed. "Oh, he's human. They're notorious for their stupid, weak, sentimental emotion and such...let the girl be then. Maybe we'll have a nice, small, humanoid family living down on the reservation. His children would be useful...maybe we could take one and study it."<br>"As you wish."

Lili awoke to the feel of something cold on her face.  
>She blinked twice, then sat up in a daze. She'd thought it might have been a dream for a blissful moment, but it was soon past. Her back screamed in pain, the gashes in her skin burning. She coughed and realized that it was snowing; snowing through what used to be the roof.<br>The chapel was smoking; half of the building had caught on fire, and the pews were smoldering.  
>What a nightmare.<br>She looked for Vash in alarm, but soon found him with her eyes.  
>He was staring out the remnant of a window, his coat nearly black now and his hair disheveled. His gun was strapped across his back, and he had the supply pack in one arm, the other full of wood. She said nothing, but watched her new husband in sadness. She couldn't know what he was thinking, but she did know that when he was idle in such a situation, a situation that demanded action, and was silent as he was now, his normally raised head bent in despair, that he was expressing grief. Grief, and ultimately, loneliness.<br>He'd always stood that way, in a place apart from her; there was a part of him she felt she could never reach, and could barely understand.  
>The stoic figure of Switzerland, who looked out at the world with disdain, and stood away from them, always neutral, always indifferent.<br>For he felt he had no choice.  
>"Vash?" she tried, her voice hoarse.<br>He turned and looked her over for a long time. She hung her head in anguish, her dress destroyed, her beauty marred. But he didn't see any of that. He only saw her disappointment, and shook his head in anger and bitterness.  
>"Lilian..." he tried, searching for the right thing to say, a way to comfort his devastated bride...but nothing came. Instead, he turned back to his one resort, logic, and said softly and steadily, "There's a snowstorm coming."<br>She didn't respond. She didn't care. She knew that he would talk of getting to safety, away from the elements, and be practical again. It was how he dealt with pain.  
>But practicality meant nothing to her right now.<br>She turned away from him, and knelt tearfully to pick up a long, flowing hair ribbon like the one she used to wear.  
>Her voice wavered as she murmured, "Even the flower girls..."<br>She spotted Sealand's cap on the ground and could say nothing.  
>She heard Swiss' soft, yet sure footsteps crunching through the freshly laid snow, and she couldn't bear to see his face.<br>"Lili-" he was interrupted by the sound of breaking glass. He looked at his boot, and realized that he'd stepped on something. Kneeling, he picked up the twisted object, and his speech was taken from him.  
>Austria's spectacles.<br>Suddenly there was only the sound of the wind, blowing through an empty church.  
>Though he stood only two feet in front of her, she felt as if they stood worlds apart. A blanket of desolation enveloped them; and though the chapel had stood full of all the world's nations not half an hour ago, it felt as if nobody had been there in a thousand years. All the hope, the hatred, and the humanity that had been was no more.<br>Suddenly she felt more alone than she had ever felt in her life. Vash was with her, but without the nonsensical chatter of America, without the cute sort of seriousness of Germany, without France's talk of love, without Italy's never ending cry of Veh!, without bon dances, without pasta, without the Eiffel tower, without the Empire state building, without the Great Wall...  
>Without them, there was suddenly nothing.<br>And though she thought of them, she thought of them as if they had died many years ago, names from the past that felt disconnected from reality, faint memories that would be forever lost with her death.  
>"We have to...to go..." Vash whispered, but he no longer cared.<br>Suddenly, suddenly, suddenly! Everything so suddenly, suddenly all had changed.  
>In that instant, she knew what he had felt all those years, the feeling of desolation, the feeling of being alone.<br>The feel of being surrounded by the merciless snow, without a cent to your name, with no one there to be any kind of support to you. It was a cruel, bitter kind of worldview.  
>And in that instant, as he clenched the glasses with his fingertips, he realized what he had always had but never grasped; the love and compassion that other people, other nations offered. And though he had always felt alone, it had been of his own choosing, for practicality, for getting ahead, for staying on top...but now his loneliness was of the true kind, the kind that has no relief.<br>She was like a beacon to him; a beacon of compassion, of love and hope; but now he realized that she was only the embodiment of what was buried in them all.  
>And he had turned his back on it his whole life, for fear of rejection, for fear of failure.<br>"I never wanted them because of their pride, their stupidity, their hate..." he whispered faintly, to no one in particular.  
>Lili did not stir as she replied softly, "Yes...but one has to take the good with the bad...there was good in all of them, Vash."<br>His eyes were glazed over, his mind in another place, as he murmured, "Yet I turned away from all of it...and somehow, now...now that they're gone...I have nothing."  
>Lili looked at him, her eyes morose and full of a strange maturity. She had grown up more than she cared to that day; the day she undertook a lifelong vow and watched the destruction of the world. She pointed numbly at his gun.<br>"Is it loaded still?"  
>He barely comprehended the question, and murmured, "Yes."<br>"Why, Vash?"  
>He looked at her with a weary stare.<br>"Why, what?"  
>"Why didn't you try to save them?"<br>He paused, unsure how to explain the practicality of it to Lili.  
>She'd never understood the meaning of the word.<br>And though it was one of the things he treasured most, admired most, he loved that she had none.  
>"I mean...I don't know, I...I can't lose you again, it was the only way to save us, there weren't enough bullets..."<br>"But was it worth it?" she whispered.  
>"What do you mean?"<br>"So we lived. Now what? How can we go on without knowing what happened to them, how can we be so...so...indifferent?"  
>As the last word rolled off her tongue she realized what she had said.<br>Vash's stare was weary, and he could barely hold his gaze as he turned away.  
>"Living all alone in the world, by ourselves...It would have been better to die with them," she whispered.<br>Suddenly his eyes were full of hate. It wasn't specifically directed at her, but he turned around vehemently and cried with pent up rage,  
>"Better to die with them? Those idiotic fools who care about nothing but themselves, who fight for no reason, who kill, steal- you'd rather be dead with them than alive with me, is that it?-!"<br>"Vash, please! I meant dead together with them, not by myself!"  
>"After all we've been through, after I worked so hard to keep us alive, to keep us safe from their schemes, you'd rather die with them?-! The people who'd invade you if they only had the chance?-!"<br>"Would you rather be alone?"  
>"Yes I would! That's what I've always wanted!" he yelled, turning away from her and covering his face with his hands.<br>He knew he'd always been lonely, and now he realized that it was his own fault.  
>But he wasn't ready to accept the fact.<br>"I don't want them, I don't need them! They don't need me, no, I'm a xenophobic recluse, I'm a trigger happy freak, isn't that right?"  
>"Vash, that's not-"<br>"All I've ever wanted is you, and now you want to die with them?-!" he cried, his voice on the breaking point. She saw pure heartbreak on his face, his sorry features twisted in agony.  
>The combination of all the horror was too much.<br>"Lili, why?" he cried, and put his hands outstretched.  
>"How can you turn your back on me?-! You're all I've got!"<br>Lili was in tears. She was witnessing the emotional breakdown of the man who never flinched, who had an iron stare, who could never crack; and that was unnerving.  
>She knew that he wasn't really upset with her.<br>He was upset with himself; he was upset that he'd never given them a chance. She knew that, and he knew that she understood.  
>But it was heartbreaking all the same.<br>"Vash-"  
>"Just shut up!" he yelled, and closed his eyes in regret.<br>Lili was silent, except for the sound of sniffling.  
>He kept staring at the snow and said with great difficulty, "I didn't...I didn't mean that...I...Maybe you should-I should..." he swallowed and looked at the ground, trailing off.<br>He didn't want to see her reaction; he'd never yelled at her like that.  
>"It's not her, it's them, it's me...she's already gone through enough today," he realized, and wished he could hold his tongue.<br>"Vash, you know I'll never turn my back on you."  
>"God only knows why," he thought as she saw her outwardly frail, but inwardly strong frame.<br>Lili could barely stand at this point, but her physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional hurt.  
>She let him take a moment to hide his feelings, for his sake, since he hated to show them, and then said shakily,<br>"Vash...Vash...you can make it up. We have to get them back."  
>Switzerland thought about this with deadened senses.<br>Get them back. Get back the nations he had always wished would go to hell and leave him and her be.  
>But he felt the spectacles get warm in his hand, and as he looked at the frames, he envisioned Hungary up there, possibly dead, with her unborn child.<br>"I don't know Lili...I don't know if I can-"  
>"You can."<br>She held his shoulders feebly, and he was alarmed at how faint her grasp was.  
>She was incredible, he realized; she ignored all the insult and injury he'd done her, and addressed what was really making him upset- his guilt.<br>"You have all that money, all those weapons...it's time that you used them. And the people..." here she coughed and Vash became increasingly concerned, "...the people of the world will help you. They'll want their mascots back."  
>Vash didn't have the heart to tell her that if the mascots had been killed...the people wouldn't be in a position to help at all.<br>But there was hope.  
>"... Okay."<br>He brought his damaged bride to his shoulder as she wept, and knelt to the ground, drawing his ceremonial sword and burying it in the snow, so that the hilt stood upright like a cross.  
>They stood there, in the silence, as Vash placed the glasses at the base of the sword, and Lili put Sealand's cap on the hilt.<br>She'd never known that snow could be so cold.

The storm had fully reached them by the time they had entered the cave. Lili shivered and clung close to Vash's body, her hair covered in frost and small icicles; his teeth chattered wildly without his coat, which he'd put on her shoulders, but he took it like a soldier. Despite his efforts, the firewood was putting splinters in her fingers and poking him in the stomach.  
>The church they'd married in was in a remote town in the Alps; Lili had wanted to keep it traditional. Unfortunately, most of it had burned down and there really wasn't anywhere safe to stay during a snow storm. Vash had gathered some wood for fire, put it reluctantly in her arms, then carried her like one carries their bride over the threshold. It had been a long, cold, trek to the caves on the other side of the valley, but they were finally there.<br>Now they were in the safety of the cave, and he removed a flashlight from his emergency backpack.  
>Once they were a good distance inside the cave, he gently placed Liechtenstein on the ground. She shivered hopelessly, for the floor was cold and the air was almost as frigid as it was outside.<br>"Don't worry," he chattered, taking his Swiss army knife and a flint.  
>Within a few moments, there was a blazing fire inside the cave. They huddled close to one another and the fire, desperately trying to keep warm.<br>"I've got a blanket," he whispered, and draped it over the both of them.  
>Liechtenstein managed a minuscule smile. "I'm glad that you had the sense to bring an emergency bag and a gun to your wedding," she said. Vash laughed a little and held her close. "Well...one never can be too careful."<br>They both tried to share a short moment of humor, but soon the mood was gone.  
>Lili sobered and stared at her bloody palms, torn from where the wood had cut into her skin. Switzerland clicked his tongue and held them in his hands.<br>"My... poor Liechtenstein. On her wedding day...I'm so sorry," he stuttered, the words coming out choppy. He still was learning to be affectionate; it was a difficult process, conveying his feelings. Thankfully she was perceptive.  
>Lili said nothing but just shook her head sadly.<br>He removed the blanket and looked at her back. There were slashes from where the monsters had grabbed her. The dress was utterly ruined, the skirt hems ripped, the upper part slashed, and there was a big hole at the waist; the bottom part was slowly separating from the top.  
>Thank God the train had been short; her beaded veil was still draped over her face, though her hair was now disheveled and the embroidery damaged.<br>He ran his fingers over the wounds and sighed as she winced. "Are you warm now?" he asked.  
>"Yes."<br>"Then I'm going to need you to take off the dress."  
>Lili blushed heavily. "B-but I only have a slip on underneath and it's torn..."<br>This made him turn red as well. "Well...We're married, now, right? Heh...Ah, it's okay I won't look. Here, I'll turn around, see..."  
>She stopped him. "N-no. It's fine." She removed his heavy army coat and he felt himself become completely pink.<br>She then removed the dress gingerly, wincing in pain where it brushed against her cuts. There was no need to unzip because the zipper had been ripped clean off.  
>He could do nothing but stare at her in her torn slip for a while, the back part completely missing...when he remembered the first aid kit. He shook his head vigorously. "Right!" he thought. "Antiseptic..."<br>He pulled out some bandages and alcohol. Gently, Vash took her shoulders and pulled them towards him; she shut her eyes tightly and prepared for the pain. It made him angry to see the horrendous cuts all over his new bride; thankfully, only her upper back was hurt, and there were a few blisters on her arms and hands from the wood.  
>He expected her to scream but was surprised when she just clenched her teeth and whimpered; she was being brave for him. The alcohol stung so badly that by the time he'd moved on to her arms, she'd passed out.<br>This worried Vash enormously.  
>He set up the sleeping bag and blanket near the fire and had her lay on top of it, debating whether or not to climb in with her.<br>"It'll keep her warm," he reasoned, but was torn with indecision. He didn't want her to awake frightened. Luckily, before he could ponder this any further, she woke up. She hadn't fainted for very long at all.  
>Switzerland smiled proudly; he'd raised a tough little soldier.<br>She coughed for a moment then stared into his eyes.  
>"How long have I been out?" she asked weakly.<br>"Probably five minutes."  
>She looked away. "Oh, Switzy. What are we going to do?"<br>He shook his head. "I don't know. For now, all we can hope to do is wait out the storm."  
>"How long will it last?" she asked.<br>"Three days at the most," he said. She shuddered; that was a long time. But she had him...  
>"I'm sorry Lili. Our honeymoon wasn't supposed to be in a cave. We were never supposed to be stuck in a cave again."<br>She reached for his hand. "It's alright...Do... Do you think any of them are left?"  
>He sighed as he ran his fingers over her scars. "I don't know."<br>Lili was starting to cry. "You should've seen their faces, Vash."  
>"Whose?"<br>"Mr. and Mrs. Austro Hungary."  
>He looked at her strangely. "You know they're not Austro Hungary anymore."<br>She shook her head. "Maybe not on paper, but they still are...You should've seen her, Switzy. Running to him and embracing him...they were still holding each other when they came and stole them away."  
>Austria. He thought of not knowing what became of Roderich; and for the first time in a long time, that really bothered him.<br>"I'm not sure what happened to the countries that didn't show up at the wedding," he said softly.  
>"Who didn't come?" she asked.<br>"Let's see...I think Sir Ireland had a previous engagement...Mr. Peru had a raging alpaca crisis...Ms. Indonesia didn't respond to the invitation...that bastard Prussia didn't come, thank God...Rachel...and several African countries, I believe. Oh, and Ms. Monaco had a cold."  
>Lili's heart sunk. "Is that all?"<br>He looked at the cave floor. "I'm afraid so."  
>She sat up, clutched her knees, and began to sob. "The whole world, Vash...what if we're the only ones?"<br>He thought about it for a moment; they'd always lived as if they were the only ones. But to know that the rest of the world lay barren...  
>He held her close. "Sshhhh...We'll worry about this when we can go outside. For now...heh," he swallowed, doing his best, "it's just you and me..." he tried feebly.<br>Epic fail number four...  
>For the first time ever, he truly cared about the other countries. But his mind was on something...someone...else. But she couldn't help herself, oblivious to his feelings. "Ms. Hungary..." she cried. "Mr. Austria...Sir Britain, Alfred, even Kiku... They're all gone!"<br>He rocked her slowly, like a child, and did his best to whisper soothing words in her ear.  
>After several minutes of crying, her sobs began to subside, and she began to chatter again. The fire was dying.<br>"We have to save some wood for tomorrow," Vash said softly.  
>Lili grew rigid. "Does...Does that mean we have to sleep in the dark?"<br>He felt very sorry for her as he said," I have a flashlight...but we have to save the battery. We don't know how long we'll be in here..."  
>Another sob of fright escaped her lips as the fire faded.<br>"Come on, Lili, we have to get in the sleeping bag and stay warm."  
>She whimpered and clutched his shirt.<br>He leaned his head on her shoulder and said softly,"Don't worry. I'll keep you safe." His eyes scanned the place with distrust; he knew nobody was there but he was naturally cautious.  
>She still shook, but nodded nervously in agreement.<br>As the light weaned, they carefully climbed in the sleeping bag together, trying to avoid letting her cuts rub against the fabric as much as possible.  
>He faced her and she him, staring at the glow of the dying light in each other's eyes.<br>"You have to be strong, for her sake," he thought. "She needs you."  
>She huddled against his chest. "I'm glad we're still here. I...I'm sorry," she whispered.<br>Her veil shielded her eyes from him only a little, because the fabric was transparent, but he reached a hand up and lifted it from her face.  
>And the light was out.<br>"You know something, Lili?" he whispered.  
>"What?" she replied, voice still shaky.<br>"We're married."  
>She felt his breathing on her lips and was dying in anticipation when he whispered, "May I?"<br>Temporarily the others were forgotten as she nearly melted in his arms.  
>"I...I..." she murmured... Suddenly, she remembered something. Being thrown on the ground. Being seized by the hands. Her rough, jumbled memories closed in on her like wolves on a hunt.<br>She turned away and Vash felt his heart do a pit fall.  
>"Lili?" he asked in disbelief.<br>"Don't...don't hurt me..." she whimpered, and he was almost hurt himself.  
>She was afraid of him?<br>"Gilbert..." she whispered, shuddering, and suddenly his eyes were like pinpoints.  
>"Oh no," he growled. He grabbed her arm firmly and jerked her back to face him, perhaps a little too roughly, and she was terrified.<br>"He's never coming between you and me ever again, not if I have anything to do with it!"  
>The feel of his lips on her own was an other worldly experience.<br>For though he was passionate, he was gentle. All the memories of the cruel Prussia faded away.  
>Never had she felt so enveloped in strength, in warmth, in security. Vash had always looked out for her since the day they first met, in the blistering cold of the pouring rain. He'd shielded her from the frigid fingers of darkness that had entered her heartland with the depression, and given her a warm hearth, a bright home, and his love; and now, though they lay enveloped in darkness, she knew that he had again shielded her from the snow and the cold; he was warmth to her, he was her light, and the firm arms that held her would never let go.<br>They were one, as of now; as he kissed her gently and protectively, she knew he would never leave her side, for all of eternity.  
>"Vash," she mumbled as he pulled away from her slowly.<br>"Yes?"  
>"Why...Why me?" she said softly. She could sense the rare smile, even in the dark.<br>"You have what I lack, Lili. You're...you have kindness, consideration for others, patience...it was always a joy for me to give you what you wanted, to protect you," he said, the words flowing from his lips easier and easier.  
>She smiled with content, and couldn't help but think that despite the awful circumstance, she was so happy to have Switzerland by her side, and that no matter how bad the situation, they'd make it out somehow.<br>"No, you're wrong, Switzy," she murmured. "You've got all the kindness and compassion in the world..taking me in the way you did..."  
>He held her closely and was silent for a few moments before he said,<br>"Lili?"  
>"Yes?"<br>"I...I never get the chance to tell you how I feel. Please...let me love you." The words had no nervousness or pretense to them; they were simple, and straightforward.  
>She breathed deeply, blushing, and just let herself be victim to his approaches.<br>It was a strange experience in the darkness of the cave, with nothing but the sound of the wind blowing, far away. She'd never been subject to his advances before; brave as he was on the prowl, he never could rile up any courage when he was with her...For she was his only weakness. But now Vash was very honest.  
>He gripped the sides of her upper arms, where she hadn't been cut, and kissed her, until her mind was somewhere far away, away in another place where only he existed.<br>Though come to think of it, they may have been the only ones left...  
>She lost sense of where she was, there in the dark. They could not see one another; there was only feeling between them, emotion being exchanged.<br>After some period of time, though Lili could not have said how long it was, she pulled away, sweat beginning to form on her forehead. They were so close...almost completely entwined. Suddenly she was nervous.  
>"Vash?"<br>"Hmm?"  
>"I love you."<br>"Yes.." he whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist. She never wanted to leave his grasp, or this strange Neverland of passion. A feeling arose in her breast that was even newer, and more foreign than her attraction for Vash; its peculiarity almost frightened her, but at the same time, she welcomed it. It grew stronger and stronger, its intensity like a fire.  
>"Lili..." he whispered very, very softly.<br>"Yes?"  
>She felt heat rising off his body.<br>"Do...Do you trust me?"  
>She swallowed nervously, sensing what was to come.<br>"Y-yes."  
>"Are you sure? I don't want to do anything you regret." He swallowed nervously. "I promise I won't hurt you."<br>She took one final moment to breathe, and said without thinking, "Yes. I trust you."

Morning light woke Vash.  
>He sat up drowsily and scratched the back of his head.<br>"I guess the storm is over," he muttered. "We could've used the flashlight."  
>Part of him was glad they hadn't, though.<br>He suddenly shivered and grabbed his arms. He was shirtless now, and only wearing his boxers.  
>"Where are my clothes?" he grumbled, turning entirely red. He couldn't believe he'd had the audacity to do what he'd done, but the darkness had left them both in a different state of mind; now he could say they were truly one.<br>"Oh no." His pants were stuck under Lili; and she was fast asleep.  
>His coat was on her shoulders now, her wedding dress lying in a heap on the cave floor.<br>"Crap."  
>Suddenly his face was completely red and he put his hands over his mouth.<br>"Oh no, no, no..." he almost whined, and backed away from her. "What have I done, what have I done! What was I thinking... no, no!"  
>When he saw her sleeping face, he could only see the little innocent sister he'd cherished, and suddenly he was mortified.<br>What...have...I...done?-!  
>It was his worst nightmare; he'd violated her in his selfishness.<br>When she stirred in her sleep, he looked frantically about for a place to hide, but there wasn't one, really. He wound up curling up in the corner with his head stuck in between his knees in shame.  
>I should have waited...she's still so young...and hurt...what if she-<br>"Big Bruder?" she murmured hazily.  
>Shit.<br>"Vash, where are-" she sat up and looked at herself. "-oh!" she murmured in embarrassment, and tried to cover herself with the coat.  
>He shivered from the cold and the humiliation. "I...I'm sorry, Liechtenstein...I don't know what I was thinking..."<br>Suddenly she remembered last night, and she remembered Gilbert's attack. She could feel hands all over her body, not really distinguishing whose they were.  
>And she was very ashamed.<br>She began to sniffle and murmured, "Oh...oh no..."  
>At the sound of her crying Vash stood up and kicked the wall in frustration. "I'm such a prick!" he yelled, annoyed at himself. He'd been annoyed at himself a lot lately.<br>Lili looked up. "What? No, Vash..." she said softly, and he looked at her with embarrassment. "I was sad because...now I've shown myself and I...you must think...you must think I'm lewd," she could barely mutter in shame.  
>Vash shook his head at this.<br>Silly girl. Some things hadn't changed; she was still so selfless.  
>"Oh...well... in that case, don't be, I'm just sorry that...that...I..eh..." he tried, but the words would not come, and he turned away in irritation. He'd never had a gift for speaking.<br>Lili stood, painfully though, and placed a hand on his shoulder, though she was still extremely flushed.  
>"Well...we are married now, Vash...it's okay," she tried, but he shook his head.<br>"You've always been..." he started. He blushed at the term of endearment that he was about to say; he'd always called her that in his head but have never said it aloud because he felt it was unprofessional. "...my innocent."  
>She didn't know what to say to that. He shook his head and said painfully. "I shouldn't have touched you...so young...too soon...I should've controlled myself," he coughed, and she thought for a moment.<br>"Well...in China's home, he says they often marry the girls at twelve, and they're expected to bear children immediately," she said softly. "And it was like that for a long time all throughout the world..." she paused, and thought about that for a moment. "That must've been rough..."  
>"That doesn't give me an excuse. You weren't ready," Vash insisted stubbornly, and she caught him by the shoulder and forced him to look at her.<br>"Hey!" she said, and suddenly he was petrified of the tiny woman who stood before him. "You were a gentleman. And...now...now we know we really can love each other...I guess..." she stammered, looking at the ground now.  
>She waited for a moment as he embraced her, still blushing. He felt more like a table when you hugged him than a person.<br>Please...Please, come on Vash...she thought, waiting for it, waiting for it...  
>"We should go back to that little village where the church is, we can stock up on supplies then get back to Bern..." he said.<br>Yes!  
>She didn't like it at times, but she knew in her heart that Vash could always be practical in any given situation.<br>And she admired that.

The sword had been buried in snow by the time they were back. Lili was shivering uncontrollably at this point, and Vash hid his discomfort as always.  
>She stood staring at the once beautiful chapel where she had been wed, and was lost in muse while Vash looked for something salvageable.<br>Her dress was mangled and ruined, and she only had one shoe.  
>I feel like Mrs. Havisham...*<br>"Lass?"  
>"Wah!" Lili almost jumped out of her skin and nearly thought it was a ghost.<br>"Who, who...oh! Sir Ireland," she said, panting from fright. He smiled solemnly. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya, lassie. Please tell me you aren't the only one left."  
>She was still shaken as she shook her head, "Oh...oh no, there's still my husband..."<br>Ireland smiled and brushed back some of her hair with his finger. "Aye...so young a child you are to be married, Lilian...but the Swiss look after their own. I suspected he'd make it."  
>"You there, put your hands up and get away from her!" they heard a voice shout, and when they turned in his direction, he had the machine gun aimed right at Ireland.<br>Lili waved her hands back and forth frantically. "Vash, no! It's alright, it's only Sir Ireland!"  
>Vash was still suspicious as he approached them, but soon saw that Lili was telling the truth.<br>"The whole world's gone crazy," muttered Ireland. "Nobody knows what happened to all the mascots, so I came to check it out," he said. Vash raised an eyebrow and said, "I was expecting the press to be all over the place. Where are they?"  
>Ireland shrugged. "That's what I'm saying, the whole world's gone crazy. All the people, the normal people, they've all sort of fallen over into a lethargic sleep, and nothin can budge em'. Except the people at my place are fine. And yours, apparently, they're waiting at the bottom of the mountain. Said you gave em' strict orders for no press coverage, didn't want your weddin to be a' trampled on. Nice that they listen to ya, more than they do at my place, heh...Anyways, the people in London, it's crazy! Everywhere, you step on their faces and they don't move, they snore like there's no tomorrow. I knew that if the mascots are harmed something like this could happen, but I wasn't sure..."<br>Vash sighed in relief. "They aren't dead then."  
>"What?" asked Ireland.<br>Vash recounted the story of the alien attack, and Ireland was looking very skeptical at the end of it, but seeing as there was no other explanation, he hesitatingly accepted it.  
>"What about America?" asked Vash.<br>"Whaddya mean?" Ireland replied.  
>"Is America also in a state of lethargy?" he asked. Ireland nodded. "Aye."<br>Vash furled his eyebrow. "That doesn't make any sense, Rachel is still there..."  
>He thought about it for a moment and then realized, "She has no rite..." "Vash, you're confusing all of us here," Lili said. Switzerland shook his head.<br>"The rite was never transferred to her. She has no power; she's been a showpiece for American equality all along. I knew you couldn't give the rite to two."  
>"The rite?" asked Ireland. "The rite we received in the Arena kind of rite?"<br>"Yes, the one that empowers mascot nations." "Do you think we could restore the rite to her instead of Alfred?" Lili said desperately. "With America on our side, we'd have a much greater chance. They have the finest spacecraft, right?"  
>Vash sighed. "My boss...he's gone, and he knows all the information on the vault."<br>"The vault?" Lili murmured, before Ireland interrupted, "You said somethin before about them not bein dead. Did you mean the people or the mascots?"  
>Vash stared into space for a moment and murmured, "The mascots."<br>He closed his eyes in realization.  
>He was going to have to tell them. Something he'd sworn never to do.<br>"Well how do ya know that?" asked Ireland faintly. Vash took a deep breath and said softly, "There's a vault."  
>"Vault?"<br>"You said that before, Switzy," murmured Lili. "What vault?"  
>There was a pause as Vash turned away and said slowly, "What would you do, Lili, if I said that...Ralph...was still alive?"<br>Lili blinked. "But...but that's impossible, I saw him-"  
>"You saw an illusion."<br>Switzerland looked at them both and sighed. He decided to spit it all out at once.  
>"After the fall of the Roman Empire they agreed it was too dangerous to kill the counterparts. Marcus Antonius Flavius killed his twin sister."<br>Ireland was beginning to comprehend what Vash was saying.  
>"When things got rough, there was no relief for Rome. And Germania wanted to be united with Rome, be part of the action, but there was no Antonia for him to marry, because she'd been killed. Germania wound up attacking Marcus in the night and was one of the major reasons for his fall."<br>Vash shook his head. "I was a baby at the time, and Alessandra too. But already the Swiss had a reputation for reliability, and we were surrounded by the Alps."  
>There was a pause as he took a breath.<br>"They thought about the Nepal area, but the people there were too unstable and didn't have enough technology at the time...So the Swiss Boss was given specific instructions on the care of the counterparts. After the slashing of the wrist, they were taken away and healed in an ancient sort of intensive care unit; people seem to have forgotten that nations cannot be killed."  
>"Unless killed by another nation," interjected Ireland.<br>"Lie. Created by the Swiss to make people believe the counterparts were dead."  
>"But you said Rome was killed by Germania."<br>"I said that Germania was one of the main causes of his death. There were other factors involved. Nations can die, but only if they cause their own death, consciously or not. Otherwise the rite protects them and their counterparts from murder; they can only be taken into other people's houses, like the Ottoman Empire and Prussia. Their nations don't exist anymore, they just live in other people's houses."  
>"Like me," Lili whispered.<br>Ireland looked at her strangely. "What do you mean, lassie?"  
>Lili shrugged. "I don't exist anymore...Liechtenstein is united with Switzerland now. It's all one country."<br>Vash just began to realize this, and he wondered distantly if she had wanted her people to remain independent. He'd have to ask later. For now, he had to finish explaining. "In the past, they would wait for the mascot's counterpart to bleed to death before giving the rite, but now they give the rite as soon as possible. Then the two of them are protected. Fritz keeps going on about this, 'link between counterparts,' but I don't know much about that..."  
>Lili shook her head, barely comprehending all of this. "And you never told any of us?" she asked. Vash shook his head. "It was for everyone's safety...or that's what Fritz said. I don't really know much, I was just a baby when all of this happened. I do know that if the one with the rite is killed...bad things will happen."<br>"Will everyone die?" asked Ireland. Vash shrugged.  
>"Some say they will die. Some say they'll turn to stone until the rite is passed to the other. Nobody really knows; it's never happened after the preservation of the counterparts. Some say Rome released his rite before his death so something like that wouldn't happen. Some say he didn't and that resulted in the Black Death. We don't really know. I do know that if the mascots are fatally wounded, barely alive, or passed out...the people will be the same. Don't you remember the great English slumber of 772?"<br>Ireland nodded. England had gotten horribly, almost fatally intoxicated, and the people of England had passed out for a day. This was never recorded because when the people woke up, they didn't remember anything, and they didn't believe the Irish who testified it was true.  
>Vash continued, "So they must all be hurt or passed out up there. But the Vault is under Bern, and it has every single counterpart who lost in the arena is inside. With the exception of Rachel, and now, Maria."<br>"Maria?"  
>"Spain's counterpart. She was going to marry Austria. I don't know how people believe all this crap we make up to cover how America and Spain's women magically reappeared alive from nowhere."<br>Ireland was suddenly grinning wildly. "Well we gotta visit this vault of yours, laddie! The whole world is in there, mind you a weaker world, but we have a military now!"  
>Swiss nodded gravely. "Unfortunately, I have no clue how to give them rites...England knows a lot of the magic behind it. We should visit his home."<br>"Ha! Damn that dastard, Britain. We don't need his papers," scoffed Ireland. "I'm sure Boss Fritz has his own records somewhere in Bern."  
>"Yeah," Vash muttered under his breath. "Probably under thirty sets of laser tripwires with automatic riflemen surrounding it."<br>"What was that ya said, laddie? I didn't catch ya."  
>"Nothing."<p>

They found the papers that gave the location of the vault rather quickly; but they tore Fritz' office apart for a full week and found nothing on rites. So it was settled; Vash and Lili would take a plane to America and find out about this "Tony," and see what Rachel knew about the aliens. Ireland and their newest companion, Ms. Monaco, a sniveling, frail woman with three PhDs in medicine, would travel to England and see if they could find any of his spellbooks. They would meet back in Bern in three days.  
>The people of the world were panicking in some places; in some remote African countries, people and mascots alike were wondering what had happened. Vash decided to keep them in the dark for now. Indonesia was in turmoil; she'd come to visit Vash in Switzerland for a day or so and was briefed. Once they had the mascots, they'd get back to her. Unfortunately, people were taking advantage and looting all the empty businesses; fires and other disasters raged unattended. Luckily, due to a swift move on Vash's part, they'd taken all the engineers they had left and sped them towards all the nuclear power plants immediately after the accident. Miraculously, none had gone awry.<br>But millions were already dead. Vehicles without operators, stoves left unattended...it was a mess. They needed to restore order quickly. Peru was still dealing with a raging alpaca crisis, and they hadn't heard anything from Prussia.  
>The plane ride was peaceful for the most part; the Swiss were cooperating and set up the flight for Vash and his wife. Halfway through she drifted into a deep sleep, and that was when everything went down hill.<br>She felt his eyes on her. She heard his evil laugh, misunderstood as it was. Then the horrid touch that had been haunting her; being thrown on her bed, her hair being pulled, her clothes being ripped...she was paralyzed with fear, and his touch made her break down into tears.  
>"Gil, stop, please!" she cried, but the laughing continued. And when she saw his face, she was taken completely by surprise.<br>For Prussia had been interrupted before he could go all the way with her; there was only one person who'd ever gone all the way with her.  
>"V-Vash, what are you doing?"<br>He just laughed cruelly in her face. She remembered that his touch had been protective, and gentle; Gilbert's had been violating, rough, and cruel. The two were now merged in her mind, through this nightmare, and she began to kick and scream and beg; but it was too late. His rough hands seized her and it was all over.  
>Lili woke up in a cold sweat.<br>"Liechtenstein?"  
>That voice!<br>She turned and looked at her husband. His face was calm but the dream had been so real; suddenly she was afraid.  
>"Are you okay?"<br>"I need to go to the lavatory!" she whimpered, and dashed away. She had to pass his seat to get to the aisle and felt his hands brush along her back. She shuddered and instinctively smacked it away, then ran before she could see his face.  
>Vash was confused, and wondered what could possibly be the matter with her, but then the on air phone rang, and it was Rachel. She told him that they were going to be arriving late in D.C and that she'd booked them a room at the Grand Hyatt, which wasn't hard since nobody but her and Tony were awake in America. Vash accepted and busily began to discuss the schedule for the next week; by the time Lili was back, he'd forgotten her trouble.<p>

Gilbert yawned as he sat up. The room was pitch black; the light must've gone out. "West? West!" he groaned, and felt drowsily for the light switch.  
>To his surprise, when he flicked it on, nothing happened. He grappled the switch back and forth furiously, but to no avail.<br>"Dammit..." he complained, and wondered if there had been a power outage.  
>"West? Where are you?-!" He went up to the sunlit kitchen with big bay windows.<br>"West?"  
>He saw a little note on the table, and took a look.<br>"Oh, that's right. He went yesterday, I forgot," Gil murmured. The note was an invitation to Lili's wedding; Vash had had no idea, but Lili had secretly invited Prussia. He was too ashamed to show his face though.  
>He held the invitation and sighed. "I shouldn't have touched her," he murmured. She was so delicate, so full of good grace. She'd been haunting him in his dreams lately, and he kept seeing the four year old girl who used to tag at his heels.<br>He should've attacked Austria for money, that weak piano loving bastard, but he couldn't bear to hurt Elizaveta, despite his hatred for their love.  
>Ludwig must have still been in Switzerland...maybe he stayed an extra day or something. Still, that was odd...Germany never broke his schedule and he wasn't a fan of frilly things like weddings.<br>"Hmm..." Prussia murmured, and sniffed the air suspiciously.  
>Was something burning?<br>He looked over at the stove, and his mouth hung agape. A pan was completely singed, black all over, and the plastic pot handle was completely melted.  
>"What the hell?-!" he cried.<br>This was unacceptable! Where was the cook?-! He'd never be able to write his diary of the awesome me at this rate...  
>"What the frick?-! Who is responsible for this!-?" he cried, waving a hand in front of his face and coughing. He rushed to turn the stove off, and then nearly tripped into the boiling hot mess, but managed to stop himself. He fell to the floor instead, and felt a limp form underneath of him.<br>"Oww..." he murmured, and looked at the victim of his fall.  
>It was a red haired beauty, dressed in full cooking regalia, a fallen ladle in her hands. He was completely on top of her.<br>Gilbert smiled crookedly and said in a mischievous voice, "Fancy meeting you like this."  
>The fair faced girl said nothing. Suddenly Gilbert was irate. "What the hell are you doing, sleeping on the job?-! The house could have burned down!"<br>She still said nothing. Confused, Gilbert slapped her across the face. No response.  
>"What the heck is wrong with her?"<br>He hit her repeatedly. No response. Suddenly he was worried.  
>"Hey, hey wake up!" He shook her back and forth, and put fingers to her lips.<br>No breath.  
>Gilbert's heart plummeted.<br>She was dead.  
>He put a ear to her chest, and to his surprise he felt a strong heartbeat.<br>"Oh geez..."  
>He put his lips to hers and pumped on her chest.<br>Prussia performed mouth to mouth and CPR for nearly ten minutes, but there was no response from the lifeless form. He shook his head with melancholy, but when he felt for a heartbeat again, it was still strong.  
>He raised an eyebrow. "What the hell... is this a dream?"<br>He picked up the phone and dialed Zwingli. He had to know where West was...they needed to talk.  
>No response.<br>Prussia looked at the phone in disbelief. Zwingli had an excellent telephone staff...he never ignored the phone.  
>But all he got was the answering machine.<br>He slammed it back on its receiver, and ran out the door. The scene shocked him.  
>There was a fire across the street, and several car wreckages. Everywhere, people were on the ground, seemingly lifeless.<br>"NANNNDDDEEEE**?"  
>He ran around crazily, looking for any signs of life.<br>Not a one. But unattended stoves, cars, and other machinery had run rampant without operators, and now there was silent insanity everywhere. No screams, no cries of struggle; but everywhere there was disaster.  
>Prussia bolted for the helipad and got in.<br>He flew around helplessly for a while, and everywhere it was the same. People lay strewn on the ground and wouldn't budge. He saw crashed airplane wreckages in various places, where the pilots had passed out and lost control.  
>How could this have happened?<br>Suddenly Gil was afraid for Germany. "He's a mascot...I always heard this could happen if we were killed..."  
>He got cold hands, and nearly lost control of the helicopter for a moment.<br>Then he made a B-line for Switzerland. The invitation was still in his hands, and he booted up the GPS for approximate location of the church. It was in a mountainous region that overlooked the tiny Liechtenstein; he was nearly there in five minutes.  
>But to get there he passed over a sliver of Austria that separated Germany from Switzerland at this location; unable to defeat his curiosity, he hovered low above the region, and his fear was confirmed. Roderich's people were also in deep sleep.<br>Suddenly a cold fear seized his heart; his hands began to sweat, and he argued with himself. The church was only a minute away, but he had to know...he had to know! Fighting himself, he veered the helicopter Eastward.  
>He had to get to Hungary.<br>"Please, please..."  
>Gilbert was rarely reduced to begging, but he couldn't help himself. He passed over the slumbering Austria and was over Hungary in another fifteen minutes. He descended, barely able to keep his eyes open; he was afraid of what he would find.<br>"Mein Gott..."  
>The wreckages were devastating. There was a forest fire raging, and Gilbert gnashed his teeth.<br>"Eliza..."  
>He shook his head in regret and headed back for the church. It took forever to find from the air, since the invitation referred to streets and landmarks, but finally he was hovering over the little building.<br>He set the chopper to continue hovering, and looked out the side with a pair of binocs.  
>"Meeeeiiiinnnn Gotttttt..."<br>The building was barely there any more. Half the walls had burned down, the place in ashy ruins.  
>Snow was blowing everywhere, but he immediately regained control, and landed hastily in the valley beside the church.<br>Trudging through the knee deep snow with uneasiness, never knowing if it would go above his head, he made a clumsy, rushed ascent up the steep mountain to the little village where little Lili had been married.  
>He rushed through the town, and suddenly was in awe of the ruined edifice.<br>Black, ashy, and forgotten.  
>Prussia gaped, and put a hand to his mouth. He moved timidly for once, and his quiet footsteps echoed through the empty church as he walked down the once decorated aisle. Pews were burned and black, but across the carpet in front of him were two fallen bodies.<br>Swiss guards that the Linkgons forgot to nab, their guns lost somewhere.  
>But the figures were unrecognizable, and Prussia could only believe they were countries. His face was pallid as he walked to the crushed altar; twisted metal and wooden wreckage covered the stage, and he shook his head.<br>On the steps lay a distraught figure, his face frozen in horror. Prussia closed his eyes.  
>"Boss Swiss..."<br>It had only been a little while ago that he'd conversed with Fritz; now he lay dead, his eyes seemingly frozen, his mouth in an eternal scream.  
>The memorial Vash and Lili had made was fallen by now; Gil only saw Zwingli's sword, lying lifeless on the ground, Sealand's cap half buried in snow...<br>And a purple hair ribbon.  
>Prussia knelt to the ground and picked up the sorry piece of cloth.<br>"Lili..." he said, swallowing.  
>So this was what it came to. No more conquest, no more glory. They were all gone, weren't they?<br>"It can't be," he said, his voice breaking for the first time since that day, so long ago...  
>He walked to the stage, and saw a hand sticking out from under the wreckage.<br>Prussia fell to his knees.  
>"Hungary..." he wept, closing his eyes, refusing to believe it.<br>There was silence in that seemingly God-forsaken church; but a second later the mountains rang with his powerful voice.  
>"Elizaveeettttttaaaaaaaaa!"<p>

Vash was all business when he entered the hotel room; he immediately threw his suitcase on the bed and began to make preparations.  
>Lili noted the decorations and looked around dizzily; an important problem was weighing on her mind, and it had been doing just that for nearly an hour, ever since Rachel announced the bit about a hotel.<br>Switzerland set the alarm clock for 6 am, strictly adhering to routine. Lili bit her lip as she folded her clothes and put them away; he didn't even notice yet, did he?  
>She went to the bathroom and changed into her nightclothes while Vash viewed his agenda for the next week, furiously scribbling and making adjustments.<br>She looked at herself in the mirror and bit her lip; she was trembling with nervousness. This nightgown was too revealing, and she didn't like it. But her old ones were like a little girl's pajamas; she'd asked Rachel for something nice, but she wound up getting a small satin slip.  
>She didn't want to leave the bathroom. She didn't want to get in bed.<br>It was different than in the cave; they couldn't see each other then, but they could now. And besides, every time she thought of the cave she felt ashamed.  
>And with the haunting memory of that nightmare...<br>He was a young man, she knew, and he had young blood running through his veins. She couldn't deny him what he wanted, especially since they were married.  
>But she was still fifteen and she was still uncomfortable with all of this.<br>"I have no choice. He's barely paying attention to me anyway, maybe I'll be fine," she thought, swallowing nervously.  
>"Okay," she whispered. "Here goes..."<br>She closed her eyes and threw the bathroom door open.  
>He'd taken off his coat and was just wearing an undershirt and his military pants. She stiffened a little; Vash never took his coat off, except when he wore those ridiculous pajamas she made him when she was ten. He'd gotten rid of them at her request not long ago.<br>The noise disturbed Vash's thought process. Annoyed, he looked up from his seat on the bed and was taken by surprise.  
>There stood a very bashful Liechtenstein, covering her arms and looking very embarrassed. He felt the blood rush to his cheeks upon seeing her in a nightgown; Lili always wore colonial or Victorian dresses, or a full military outfit like his, and he rarely ever saw her legs.<br>"Uhh..." he muttered, his mouth agape perhaps a little too much, and the pencil fell out of his hand.  
>He had completely forgot she was there until now and it dawned on him that they'd have to share tonight. They'd been sleeping in their own bedrooms back home for the past week; they were so slave to routine and so tired by the end of the day that they'd simply forgot to make the transfer. He swallowed.<br>It also dawned on him that they'd have to share all their nights for the rest of their lives.  
>Nevertheless, Lili couldn't fail but notice that rare glint in his eyes, and she covered her face with her hands. She knew that look; it was desire, and she didn't want to be desired- not like that. Vash wasn't the only person she'd seen with that look on his face.<br>He saw her embarrassment and stuttered, "Li-Lili-..."  
>She slammed the door in his face and hid in the shower, closing the door and breathing hard.<br>"I can't do this! I can't...I can't..." she thought, and she felt dizzy and sick. She could see his bulging biceps, she could remember dragging his heavy body to the jeep; she felt like Vash would crush her with his strong build. But worst of all she remembered Prussia, and the look of pure lust on his face.  
>"Lili?"<br>She heard the door creak open and she shivered in fear, crouching and shielding her body. Why...Why am I so afraid of him?  
>"Lil? Are you...in the shower?"<br>"Y-yes," she whimpered, and shut her eyes tightly as he opened the shower door.  
>She refused to look at him from huddled in the corner.<br>"Lili, what's the matter?"  
>She shuddered and shook her head. He furled his eyebrows in confusion. She'd been okay on their wedding night...though he had to confess, he was very nervous about staying with her tonight.<br>"Hey, um..." he fumbled awkwardly, "did...did I do something wrong?"  
>She looked at the tile and said in a cold sweat, "Vash...please..."<br>She closed her eyes.  
>"Please what?"<br>"Please don't look at me like that."  
>He felt his heart rate rise and tried to hide the embarrassment in his voice.<br>"Sorry...I...I don't want to make you uncomfortable."  
>She turned around and stared at him through her fingers.<br>Strong, lean frame, muscles like rock, six feet tall, hands in his military pockets.  
>"Oh God," she thought in woe. "I'm a girl and I married a man!"<br>He sighed and was a little sad that she was so afraid, but he understood her fear.  
>He was just as terrified, but he was a guy, so he wasn't allowed to show it.<br>"Tell you what, I, uh...I'll sleep on the couch tonight, is that alright?"  
>She never failed to be considerate. "Oh no, Switzerland, it's okay, I won't make you suffer because of me...I'll sleep on the couch."<br>He felt like she stabbed him, the name was so stark.  
>Switzerland? She'd never called him that in her entire life, except for the first hour they met!<br>"No, it's fine, I'll take the couch."  
>"But your back!"<br>He already had run out and nabbed the couch. She followed quickly and he playfully shrugged at her, as best he could anyway in his nervousness. "I got it first, heh...heh..."  
>He coughed and she forced a very fake laugh. He was too nervous to talk about his feelings; it was something he never did anyway. Feelings were emotion, emotion was weakness. But Lili liked to hear him talk about his feelings.<br>The truth was, he was almost hurt that she was so afraid of him. He showed his gentlest side to her; did even she see him as an untouchable trigger happy freak?  
>That had been one of his personal fears; that she would turn away like everyone else and label him a madman.<br>Why was she so upset? he wondered.  
>They were strangers in that room. They'd known each other for years, but they'd never known each other in a relationship. It had only been three months since he'd walked home in a panic because he'd have to marry her or kick her out, and they'd really only had less than a week to come to terms with their love before he got sick and was stuck in rehab till the wedding. They were strangers to each other in their new occupations; and it was going to be difficult for the both of them. This wasn't a fairy tale quick fix easy kind of love. It was complicated.<br>She hid under the covers, with only her eyes peering out into the dim lighting of the room. Vash changed quickly and out of consideration for her, he put on the plaid pajama pants he'd received at the Hetalia World Academy, instead of just wearing his underwear. With a heavy sigh, he turned the light off.  
>She whimpered and Vash nearly broke.<br>"Lili...are you-"  
>"Why am I so scared?" she choked, and closed her eyes.<br>Vash was silent.  
>"I know...I know..." she tried, swallowing hard. "..you're not like him...but I'm so afraid..."<br>He wanted to throw that idiot to a pit of lions, but he kept his rage for Gilbert contained. Prussia had scarred his wife and it was up to him to try and mend things.  
>"Lili..." he rose from the chair and put a gentle touch on her arm. "I won't hurt you. I promise."<br>He closed his eyes and realized he'd said that before...in the cave...  
>"Crap," he realized. "That's not what I meant."<br>"Vash, it's just...it's just that you're so big!"  
>He froze and felt steam rising off his face; he turned entirely red and started to gawk, his mouth open awkwardly. He looked at himself, flushing.<br>Really?  
>"Oh, heh, um..." he squeaked, his voice transposing an octave. Lili realized what she had said and turned entirely red herself.<br>"No! That's not what I meant! I meant...I meant you have such a big body...no! I mean, I'm so tiny, I, no, I mean...you're so strong, I feel like you'd overpower me, and you're so, I mean..." she put her head in her hands and started to cry. "You know what I mean!" she moaned, and turned away. "I don't ever want to do that again! I'm so sorry..." she sniffled, "I know I'm your wife, I know I'm supposed to, but I can't! I just...I just...I can't!"  
>She felt Prussia's hands all over her...her nightmare continued to haunt her and she shrunk away.<br>He realized what all the fuss was about now, and blushed deeply.  
>"Liechtenstein..."<br>He felt the feeling of guilt he'd been carrying increase.  
>She was too young. I knew it.<br>He got up and leaned against the wall, putting his head in his hands. He didn't want to do that again either. He didn't know what had possessed him. She was still just a girl, even if she was growing up, and he shouldn't have been so selfish.  
>What was I thinking...<br>She tried to calm herself down, and when it was a little quieter, she heard him say softly but firmly, "We were too young to get married."  
>She sniffled a little, and mumbled, "Do you regret it?"<br>He looked at her and hoped that she didn't regret it. "No," he said. "I only regret that we couldn't...I don't know..." he sighed, and tried to make it all flow out of him. "...have had a few more years. So we could, you know, work it out, I guess. I mean, come to think of it...You left the day after I told you I loved you, and then I got sick...After that we never really saw each other until the wedding. And suddenly we're...eh..." He couldn't bring himself to say 'sharing a bedroom.' He merely sighed and muttered, "We still have a long way to go."  
>She looked down. "I know," she said in shame. "I'm still a little girl to you."<br>"I meant we both have to grow, Lili...I mean...geez..." he sighed and wrung his hands nervously. "You were always better at this than me...I'm still so clumsy when it comes to dealing with people. You know better. I still have a lot to learn...about..." he took a deep breath. "...us. And everybody else."  
>"I'm sorry I'm so frail," she whispered, and Vash turned away. "I'm sorry I'm so..." he fished for the right word to avoid awkwardness (big was a bad choice)... "intimidating."<br>There was a pause, and Lili finally whispered against all her will, "Vash?"  
>"Yes?"<br>"Can you...can you climb in with me?"  
>He blinked a few times, and wondered if he could handle it himself.<br>"Are you sure?"  
>"I...I promised..." she said, her voice fading.<br>He was confused as he stared at the wall, listening only to the sound of her voice.  
>"Promised what?"<br>Her voice was failing her, but he could still hear her faintly mumbling, "For...for better..."  
>For better?<br>He turned to face her slowly, and walked to her bedside. She'd removed the covers down to her chest, and forced herself to keep her eyes open as he stared at her.  
>This time there was no glint in his eyes; just sincerity, and gratitude.<br>For better...  
>He smiled at the figure of his wife.<br>My wife. It's really...too good to be true.  
>"...or for worse?" he asked.<br>She nodded.  
>"Richer..." she murmured. "or for poorer?"<br>"Sickness..."  
>"And in health...I see."<br>She held her hand out, and as he took it he said in a quiet, but steady voice, "We'll work it out. I promise."  
>Then he climbed in gingerly beside her. He lifted the covers and she shut her eyes tightly.<br>Being thrown on the bed. Her hair being pulled.  
>"Don't think about that, don't think about that!" she tried, but it was hard. No girl can ever forget an experience like that.<br>He saw her quiver, and he said as gently as possible, "Lili?"  
>"...hm..m...m?" she said, using all her strength.<br>"Can you look at me?"  
>She shook her head no and kept her eyes shut.<br>"Lili...please?"  
>She turned slowly and opened only one eye. She was staring him in the face, the covers coming up to his arm. There was fear and vulnerability in his eyes as well, but he kept steady.<br>He very slowly lifted a hand and put it on her cheek; she fought to keep her eyes open. His touch was very gentle; it wasn't the rough hands of her dream. She nodded carefully, breathing shakily and staring into his dark green eyes.  
>"See...I'm not going to hurt you...okay? Are you okay?"<br>She let out a sigh of relief and loosened significantly.  
>He pulled her close to his body very slowly, and she put her cheek against his chest cautiously. He was strong, but he was calm. Suddenly she remembered the feeling of being protected, and she relaxed. He would keep her safe.<br>"Lili?"  
>She looked him straight in the eye, and it was a look he'd never forget, a turning point in the start of their new life together.<br>He saw in her eyes the innocent sister who was under his care; but she faded away, and now somebody else was there. A woman who depended on him for emotional strength and security. Both were his ward; but this girl would be there for him as well, and this girl would do her best to support him.  
>A kiss could mean so many things; and this one was innocent, and reassuring. It was really what she needed. Her body fell limp and she forgot the pain of Prussia, and her dreams, at least for now.<br>He was here. He'd keep her safe.  
>He was going to be patient, he decided. He stroked her hair softly, the way he used to when she was at her dresser, and after a few minutes, fell into a deep sleep.<p>

America was near hysterical.  
>She'd never done anything without Alfred, and without her brother she was feeling rather down, though she wasn't entirely lost.<br>"What can you tell us about Lingkons?" asked Vash.  
>"Omigod, I dunno!" she said, waving her hands back and forth and tearing up. "Alfie was always into those macho comic things! He followed all the alien conspiracy theories, not me!"<br>"Comic books?" asked Vash skeptically.  
>"Ooh, I wish I could remember!" she complained, and was poked in the arm by Tony, who handed her an ice cold beer.<br>"Thanks, I needed that," she sighed, and Tony held up a comic book.  
>"Star Trip?" read Liechtenstein.<br>"Ooh, yeah, I remember him talking about this once...grr, I wish I paid more attention now! He said that some dude found something in the fifties...I don't remember what, but he found something and then he said it was a crashed UFO or something from space, and then they based that comic book off of it...and there was a TV show too, I think."  
>Vash groaned. "You're kidding me. We're basing all of this off comic books?-!"<br>Tony nodded, and he wrote down on a piece of paper, "A lot of it is true. The Linkgons really do exist, but they're from another sector. I think a buddy told me Alderaan was destroyed a while back, though, so that doesn't make any sense..."  
>"Alderaan?" asked Vash.<br>"Their home planet. The Federation killed it."  
>"Federation?" This sounded like a bad sci fi movie.<br>"Huge government. A 'country of space' sorta," Tony scribbled.  
>"What are the Noppera part of?" asked Vash.<br>"They're by themselves. Nobody can oppose them because they can turn anything into nothing. The Noppera are pretty peaceful in general, though."  
>"What will the Lingkons do?"<br>"I dunno." Tony opened his phone, bored with answering Switzerland's questions, but then remembered all his friends were passed out, and sighed. "They may try to take the planet, who knows."  
>"Why would they do that?"<br>"They need a new base, probably. They took all the mascots, so that probably means they want world wide invasion."  
>"Why didn't they take me?" asked Vash. Tony shrugged.<br>"You said you had a gun. Maybe they didn't want to mess with you. Who knows."  
>Tony told him many other things, but Vash deemed them worthless.<br>They had to learn about rites; it was the only way to save the world. They couldn't battle these ferocious creatures.  
>They spent the rest of the day watching Star Trip. As useless as it was, Lili noted it was a pretty good show.<p>

Lili turned over and groaned.  
>Vash, always a light sleeper, opened one eye and mumbled drowsily, "What's the matter, Lil?"<br>"I can't sleep."  
>He yawned and stretched. She was completely wide awake; she had another thing on her mind she was hesitant to share, especially after last night.<br>He looked at her for a long while, then finally muttered, "Let's go for a drive."

Rachel fretted outside the room. She had Vash's antique .38 pistol in her hand; he'd left it in the boardroom, and she remembered Lili talking about it.  
>"That thing is his second life. He'll freak out if he can't find it...one time he started calling death threats to all the neighbors in that pink frilly nightgown I made him and chased people around the yard...turns out, it fell under the bed."<br>She didn't want a homicidal Zwingli running rampant in the hotel, but then again...She didn't want to barge in on them. They were newly weds.  
>She put an ear to the door, clenching her teeth and hoping she wouldn't hear what she feared she would hear.<br>She sighed. Not a sound.  
>Nervously she knocked. "Hey...hey Zwingli? Everything okay in there?"<br>No response. She furled her eyebrows.  
>"Lili?"<br>Nothing. She listened closely. She couldn't hear the sound of snoring or breathing...but the door was thick. Rachel hated to do this, but she banged loudly on the door.  
>"HEY! LIECHTENSTEIN, SWITZERLAND, WAKE UP!"<br>No response. Now America was worried. She kicked the door down easily (don't underestimate her strength) and rushed in the room. The sheets were ruffled, but nobody occupied the room. The bathroom was empty.  
>Rachel gasped and screamed at the top of her lungs, "ZOMMMGGG! TONNNYYY!"<br>(Even the women are loud and obnoxious in America...or should I say especially?)

Tony and Rachel traced the GPS signal from Switzerland's rental car.  
>"I don't know what the heck he's up to, but this is just weird. Why did they leave without telling me?"<br>Finally they pulled up to a familiar place.  
>"Sandy Point Beach?" asked Rachel skeptically. What were they doing here? She saw the car parked in the crammed parking lot. It seemed as if her people had rushed towards their cars when they'd felt something wrong, and they lay in heaps on the ground. The beach was apparently empty, except for a few fallen bodies. Rachel gulped and hoped not too many had drowned.<br>She scanned the beach rapidly for signs of life, and wondered if the couple had fallen in and drowned themselves.  
>Tony poked her in the arm, and handed her a pair of binoculars. He pointed to a far off jetty, and Rachel looked through the lenses.<br>"Oh...ohhhh."  
>She sighed for a moment then smiled. "Aww!"<br>Tony rolled his eyes.  
>Through the darkness of night, she could see the silhouette of what she at first thought was one figure. But upon closer examination, she saw that it was two figures, embracing each other. She couldn't see their faces, or any of their features; only their dark outlines against with the waves.<br>She saw the taller one (presumably Vash) take Lili's hand in his chin, and he met her lips.  
>Rachel sighed happily and Tony got back in the car. He told her in his strange dialect to hurry up. Rachel shrugged as she sat in the passenger seat.<br>"That's sweet."  
>Tony ignored her as he revved the engine.<br>"Shame they couldn't have had a real honeymoon," she murmured, and began to tear up at the thought of aliens wrecking their wedding right before the sealing kiss.

"Lili?"  
>"Yes?"<br>"Let's go home."  
>She stared out over the waves, the only sound being the quiet lapping of the water against the sand. In the distance she saw a bridge, the moon reflecting off of it, and she didn't want to think about all the accidents.<br>"What about America? Tony? All the things we were going to find out?"  
>He sighed and looked out with a strange sadness in his stare.<br>"It's useless. We can know every fact about the Lingkons and the Federation or whatever crap they made up in comic books, but we don't have the spacecraft to compete."  
>"What about a missile launch?" asked Lili, who was more high tech than she appeared.<br>Vash shook his head. "Not enough people to operate one in America, are there? We don't even know where Roderich and the others all are. They could be in deep space for all we know."  
>"Not if Lingkons want world invasion."<br>Vash shrugged, and took her in his arms. "I miss my Alps. There's nothing for us to learn here. We need to visit A-the vault."  
>"Alessandra," murmured Lili. He closed his eyes and couldn't deny it.<br>"Listen to me, Lili," he said, looking her in the eye. "I...I've felt it ever since I came back. There's something missing, something doesn't feel right. Fritz always told me there was a bond between us...between all the counterparts. Maybe they can connect with the others, who knows," he tried, but Lili sighed and looked away.  
>"You don't like it here?" she murmured. She was enchanted with the ocean, something she never saw in the landlocked Alps.<br>He took her hand and sighed. "No. It just haunts me. America was such a powerhouse..."  
>They walked silently back along the jetty, descending onto the beach.<br>"...they've been tumbling down quickly, their economy was going down the tube, but they were still the most powerful nation in the world. I'll admit it. And now..."  
>He looked dismally at the strewn bodies. He shrugged, and Lili mumbled, "I wonder how they stay alive...how many days has it been for humans?"<br>He shook his head. "No clue. We may never know, I suppose."  
>Their sense of time was fixed; but events happened in their individual countries faster or slower, depending on the country's growth at the time. Lili's country hadn't been founded more than two hundred years ago, though she was fifteen, and Vash was twenty though his country dated back to Habsburg rule.<br>Given the stagnancy of their mascots, Vash doubted it had been long for the humans.  
>"How do they live?" she whispered, turning away from those eery, slumbering bodies.<br>Vash stared at the moon and mumbled, "The rite does incredible things, I guess."  
>Lili stopped and stared at her feet. She felt herself tear up at the figure who lay before her.<br>"A middy, Vash, a middy!"  
>"Middy?"<br>"A midshipman!"  
>Vash was embarrassed to admit, he didn't know much about navy ranks. He was sort of landlocked.<br>Suddenly Lili was flying about, seemingly searching for something.  
>"Liechtenstein, what are you looking for?"<br>"His cap."  
>"What?"<br>She found it had blown away several yards, and picked it up gingerly, dusting off the sand.  
>"Their cap is very important, Vash. It's a symbol of pride."<br>He said nothing as she placed the cap in the fallen man's hand, and then proceeded to straighten the midshipman's jacket.  
>When she had finished, she stared out over the water and murmured faintly, "I wonder how Annapolis is doing..."<br>She thought of the beloved Naval Academy, the place she'd fallen in love with during her last short visit to America.  
>Vash was silent for a moment, before he asked, "How do you know so much about this, Lili?"<br>She paused.  
>"I admire what they do."<br>Vash wondered how she could ever admire America, but she continued softly, "America isn't all fun and games. They've got a sense of...how do I put it...togetherness. The Navy People...the Marines, the Seals, all the armed forces here...they always reminded me of you. I wish, in a way, that we had the same sense of pride they do. In this aspect at least."  
>Vash listened in wonder at the perception of his wife, having never pondered the value of anything American; but here she stood, in silent reverie of the fallen sailor, taking one final look at his face.<br>Then the unexpected happened;  
>The sailor opened his eyes.<p>

Alfred rubbed his head.  
>"Oww...geez, what is this?" he groaned, blinking and taking in the scenery. He was on some kind of alien table, with a bunch of Lingkons staring at him and writing observations down on clipboards.<br>Sarke pointed a phaser at the country, and America was fearless. "I'll never tell any secrets! I'd rather die!" he cried, but was inwardly a little worried. His people would all go with him if he died, wasn't that right?  
>Suddenly there was a figure that towered above the rest. She was female, her eyes glinting with malice, and the others regarded her with respect as she walked towards the table.<br>"You!" she said, pointing at Alfred. "You are the one called America, are you not?" she said in a very thick accent he couldn't identify.  
>"You bet!"<br>"What do you know of our race?"  
>"That you're wickedly...wicked, and you're enemies to the Federation!"<br>Velka scoffed. "Is that all? Well, can you be bribed, Mr. America?"  
>"Never!"<br>"Well now, every man has his price."  
>"Not me!"<br>"Well, you could be cordial at least. Maybe the phaser can do the talking."  
>Alfred gulped.<br>"What happens if you kill a mascot nation, huh?"  
>Suddenly his face turned stony.<br>Few people ever saw Alfred's serious side; but it definetly existed.  
>"What kind of low down scum are you," he growled, fighting furiously against the aliens restraining him. "You can do whatever you like to me, but not to my people! They're innocent!"<br>Velka grinned. "Loud, aren't you? And rather arrogant. Well, I see then. Killing you all kills the people. Brilliant."  
>"Not necessarily!" Alfred tried. "It's never happened, you don't know that-"<br>"Well then maybe we'll have to test it," Velka growled, but Sarke interrupted.  
>"Milady...the people of America have awakened."<br>Alfred was terrified for his people and said a silent prayer as she brandished the trident.  
>"It's a shame, really," she mused. "I would have liked to study you, too bad I have to kill you-"<br>"There's no need!" shouted a voice.  
>Suddenly Arthur was in the doorway.<br>Velka was displeased. "Who are you? Why did you wake up, who let you in here?-!"  
>As they bantered, England began to inwardly smile.<br>Thank God he kept his wand on him at all times.  
>Velka watched in disbelief as the awakened Americans fell back to sleep with the flick of England's wrist.<br>He'd suspended the rites.  
>Alfred felt betrayed, for he felt the people down there were their last hope for rescue; but little did he know, Arthur had a plan.<br>"It's time," he thought with a sigh, "That I call Cornelia again."

The attendant was busy reading a manual of some kind and was sipping a beer as they walked in from the blizzard. They all shivered and were glad to be in the heat; Ms. Monaco sniffled and was doing her best to keep from sneezing.  
>They'd decided to hurry and look at the vault after the mysterious awakening and slumber in America.<br>Ireland could not make sense of England's codes, and he hadn't time to interpret them; they needed to see if the counterparts could help.  
>The attendant looked up sharply and came to swift attention. Switzerland was taken aback; it was a woman.<br>Her hair was cut very short and was hiding under a cap, and she was wearing a military uniform, so Vash had assumed she was male. She was a hefty woman, too, but strong and pale as a sheet of paper, with frightening blue eyes.  
>"Heil! Master Switzerland, what is it that you seek?"<br>Vash bowed politely. "I just want to look around. Visit the tributes."  
>Her eyes narrowed. "Sir! I must enquire where Boss Swiss is at!"<br>Vash sighed. She was strict and obviously not going to buy the "he was abducted by aliens," thing.  
>"He can't come today."<br>She frowned and those thin eyebrows of hers were near terrifying, but Vash did not stir. He was the master of evil glares.  
>"I cannot open the vault without authorization from Boss Swiss, Sir!"<br>"This is important-"  
>"No exceptions! I cannot, under any circumstance-"<br>"Nadia!" came a call from down the hall. It was a dismal place, all concrete with dim lighting, and the party of four could barely make out the figure that was walking down the corridor.  
>She took her time, and her footsteps were soft. Finally she emerged into the light, and Ireland was taken by her beauty. She was small, and dressed in an old Victorian dress, skirts silently ruffling, back upright, stiff upper lip. She had a two flowers in her hair, which was long and brown, and fell upon her back with grace. Her eyes were a familiar green, but there was no mischievousness in them; only elegance.<br>She bowed politely to Vash. "Master Switzerland," she began and Nadia growled. "The gate is my care, leave us be!"  
>"Oh, hush up," she chided softly. "The world is inverted right now, and it isn't a good time to adhere so strictly to the rules. Haven't you learnt from the past?" she said, the words coming out at their own pace. Her accent was fair, and with the addition of 'learnt,' everyone realized immediately that this must be England's counterpart.<br>She turned to face her guests.  
>"Pardon her rudeness; this is not the finest sample of our hospitality. Nadia is just very strict about the rules and regulations," she said with the dainty air of a learned royal.<br>"Are you Germany?" Ireland asked the guard. Nadia frowned. "Harumph! Ludwig is Germany! I am Nadia, his twin sister. We are counterparts, I am not a nation!"  
>Switzerland shook his head gravely.<br>"All of you are nations now, as far as I am concerned. Excluding the four of us, Indonesia, Peru, and and a couple of African nations."  
>England nodded and said, "As you wish. You may call me England or Cornelia, whichever is your leisure. Please, you came for an inspection of the vault?" Vash liked Cornelia. She was formal but pleasurable. He hoped not everybody here was so structured in their speech, though. "Yes, please."<br>She lead them down the dank corridor and knocked at the door near the end of the hallway. When nobody answered, she removed a set of brass keys from a satchel she was carrying and unlocked the door.  
>The inside of the complex was surprisingly nice. The floors were wood stained, and the rooms brightly lit with oil lamps. They were in a lobby of some kind, and were met with an olive skinned, very flustered girl. Her hair was a fair red, but her eyes were chocolate brown; she had a strange combination of features, but overall she had an original sense of beauty.<br>"Elle," Cornelia clicked, "You're supposed to always guard the door."  
>"Si," she moaned, gasping for breath. "But nohbahdy ehvehr cuhms down heeeere, and I was tiyehd! Weh!"<br>Vash raised an eyebrow. "How did Feliciano win anyways? Did he beat you with a white flag?" he asked, identifying her easily by her whiny attitude, thick accent, and the red hair curl.  
>She pouted. "Weh!We were so scared of dying we ran away from each other for days. Then we got hungry and met up in the middle of the arena. We couldn't kill each other so we made pasta and then used up all the water. I fainted first, but brother was close. It's no fair, Weh! he's such a pig!" she whined. Ireland rolled his eyes.<br>Lili swooned and started to teeter. Vash stared at her in alarm. "Liechtenstein? What is it?"  
>She shook her head and regained her senses. "I don't know, I...I felt dizzy for a second. I'm fine." "Are you sure?"<br>"Yes...go on, I can-"  
>Suddenly her face was white and Switzerland was truly alarmed. "Lili? Lili!" he gripped her tightly and she shook her head in a daze. "R-Ralph."<br>There was a stern voice from behind her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."  
>Vash turned to face the character, and his mind was nearly blown.<br>A good hundred and fifty pounds of sheer brawn stared him in the face. Stern green eyes like his own and a crewcut.  
>Ralph saw that Vash had been sizing him up and growled. "Get your grimy paws off my sister, you trigger happy moron. You've had her in your clutches for too long."<br>Lili was too out of it to say anything, but Vash's eyes quickly yielded anger. But before he could say a word Ralph grumbled, "You tried to make her your sister, keeping her locked up in those sissy mountains of yours, but she's my sister and nobody else's."  
>"Oh, don't worry, we aren't siblings at all," Vash smirked. Ralph narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"<br>Cornelia paled. "Ralph, I really think it's time I told you the news-"  
>"I take my news from Alessandra, not your biased, idiotic press!"<br>"Ralph, be reasonable-"  
>But the observant Ralph had seen the glint of something expensive; a diamond. He rushed over to his sister's hand and was taken aback at the sight of the ring.<br>"How...how..." he turned to Vash in anger. "Who did she marry?-! Who would have to balls to marry my sister?-!"  
>Vash smirked. He wasn't afraid and he didn't like the other Liechtenstein one bit. Nor did he like the way Ralph referred to Alessandra. He lifted two fingers up, one from each hand. On his left he raised his ring finger, which had a gold wedding ring on it, and you can guess which finger he raised on the other hand.<br>Ralph adopted the look of raging bull and charged. "Why you little punk! You perverted creep! Come here, sissy boy, come to-"  
>"Uh, uh!" There was a gun at his throat. "Coward!" spit Ralph. "Hide behind a weapon, why don't you? How about you fight me with your bare hands, you womanizing jerk!"<br>"RALPH!"  
>Cornelia's eyes wielded anger. Ralph did not flinch.<br>"Here," she sighed, gently taking Lili and delivering her to Ralph's arms.

**(This is not finished. However, if I finished it and did not update, you'd have to wait another week before I had computer access. So I updated. The part that is missing is not too significant; just meeting all the counterparts, learning about Ralph, Alessandra, and connections between counterparts. It will be added next chapter. I suggest you stop reading now and skip to the AN, but you can keep reading if you want. The part I did not include is not too significant.)**

It was a strange sight.  
>This time it wasn't America hosting the meeting; not the sarcastic, cheery, yet frighteningly powerful hamburger lover.<br>It was him. It was Switzerland.  
>He could not stop thinking about Lili; not many of the others knew. Then again, he didn't know many of the others.<br>Some were more recognizable than others, but it didn't matter for Vash.  
>How strange it was to direct a world meeting, but this time, the majority of the nations were women.<br>He pointed to the blackboard in a no nonsense manner, pushing back his emotions as usual, on the surface anyway. In a concise speech, he outlined the story of the attack, information gathered so far, and possible strategies. When he had concluded, he opened the circle for discussion.  
>Cornelia was the first to speak.<br>"Do we know where the ship is?"  
>"No," he replied.<br>"Can we use GPS location systems?" she asked.  
>"Not enough people to man a station. Yet...I can get the remaining Swiss to work on it. We need to borrow Rachel's satellites I guess...I don't know if she knows how to operate them..."<br>"Exactly!" exclaimed a voice with the air of a coastal aristocrat.  
>Vash faced the new counterpart; she was of incredible beauty, makeup picture perfect, but her dress was weird and looked something that crazy Gaga woman would wear. (Vash had met her once-but that's another story)<br>"Cornelia's idea is ridiculous!" she said thickly, waving a hand, nails painted prettily.  
>"Why, may I ask?" Vash prodded.<br>"Because she thought of it!" she sneered.  
>"Ms. France-" he sighed.<br>"Bella," she corrected.  
>"No, you're France now. I'm afraid you'll need a better reason-"<br>"Even if we can find them, so what? America can only take people to the moon and only if he has a lot of time and money on his hands. And right now we don't have America, time, or money. Even if we did, how are we supposed to fight aliens with our crappy spaceships?" Bella mused.  
>"Hmph," huffed Cornelia. "I didn't know you were capable of such thought, France. I'm duly impressed. Now what do you suppose we do instead, eh?"<br>Suddenly everything was out of control.  
>"Maybe we should try paying ransom!" shouted a young Canada, but nobody listened.<br>Cornelia was above common fighting, but Bella had begun chasing her across the room with a bagette. Ms. China was screaming for them to calm down and have dumplings, Ms. Russia was tormenting Ms. Latvia, and Ms. Greece was fast asleep.  
>Vash closed his eyes in disappointment and dread.<br>"We can't even unify in a time like this," he thought despairingly. "They're no different than the men..."  
>Suddenly the sharp cry of an infuriated Nadia rang through the air.<br>"EVERYONE SHUT UP!"  
>But before she could lecture any further, the door flew open, and there stood a sniveling Ms. Monaco.<br>"Cornelia...I told you you had to nurse for me. Come here. And Master Switzerland...you'd best come," she sniffled.  
>"Is it about Lili?" he asked hurriedly, the serious expression dropping from his face.<br>Italy saw. "How cute," she cooed, holding a flower in her hand and looking up at the ceiling.  
>Vash ignored her. "Unfortunately, yes. You'd best hurry," said Monaco.<br>Ralph stood up and followed Vash out the door. Switzerland frowned as he shut it behind him.  
>"She called for me," Swiss muttered.<br>"If it's about Lili then it's my business," Ralph replied cooly.  
>Vash was irritated, and Ms. Monaco whispered something in Cornelia's ear. The young British maid paled, and said,"I'll run the test."<br>Monaco waved a hand. "I'll do it."  
>"What's going on?" Vash asked anxiously.<br>Ms. Monaco looked at Ralph gloomily and cleared her throat. The counterpart did not even flinch.  
>"She's my sister. It's my business."<br>"Indeed," mumbled a troubled Cornelia. "But this...I think we need Master to know first... It's going to be hard...emotionally-"  
>"What happened to her, why is she sick?" Ralph begged, but Cornelia did not speak. He growled and stomped away, knowing he wasn't going to win.<br>Switzerland tried to conceal his fear. He had to be strong in this crisis.  
>"Cornelia, please..."<br>She sighed and mumbled, "Wait here. I have to talk to young Mistress, just to be sure..."  
>She could ask him but she didn't want to.<br>"What do you think she has?" Vash asked.  
>She bit her lip and said, "Well, it's not exactly a disease..."<br>"Could she die?" he asked anxiously, cutting to the chase. Britain sighed. "I don't like to lie, Master-"  
>"Don't. Tell me the truth."<br>"...it could be fatal."  
>Switzerland was in denial. But she quickly reassured him, "But we don't know if...what we think is going on is going on...even if it is, she may live...she's just so small..."<br>"She's never had any strength," Vash sighed, sitting down and putting his head in his hands. "She never has. She makes up for it in emotional strength...but she's always been fragile."  
>Cornelia was hopeful, but she felt sorry for the figure before her. She knew the incredible stress he underwent; but he always had to bear it with that stolid frown. He had no choice, really.<br>Picking up her clipboard, she bowed respectfully and entered the door to sick bay. It was a pitiful sight; Liechtenstein was as pale as the sheets, her fists clenched around the fabric, her face sickly.  
>"Doctor?" she asked meekly.<br>"It's me, Cornelia."  
>"Oh," she said, smiling faintly. "How...how is Vash? Is he okay?"<br>"He's very worried for you."  
>"Hmm." She turned her head sadly. "Should he be?"<br>"Well," England said, inhaling deeply and deciding what to say. But Lili interrupted her thoughts.  
>"Britain," she whispered, pausing before she said in an eerie tone, "Am I going to die?"<br>Cornelia felt weak herself. "No," she said softly. "You'll be fine."  
>"What's wrong with me? I feel...I can't even feel anymore."<br>Cornelia tried to be elegant, but the topic was awkward.  
>"Tell me, Lili...do you love your husband?"<br>Lili was taken off guard by the question.  
>"Pardon my rudeness," Cornelia corrected quickly, "but it's important."<br>Her accent was airy and sophisticated, but her voice faltered. "How cumftahbl ah yew wihth im?"  
>Lili's face regained a flitting flush of color.<br>"We we love each other a lot, he's very civil to me..." she tried, but Cornelia cleared her throat.  
>"There's simply no eloquent way to put this," she thought miserably to herself, before saying, "What I'm saying is...have you ever...had...sexual contact...with your husband?" she shut her eyes tight and hated to think of that.<br>The girl before her was hardly fifteen.  
>Lili couldn't be more flustered, but suddenly the door opened. Ms. Monaco walked in with a test strip and showed it to Cornelia, who paled yet again.<br>"Oh dear," she mumbled.  
>"What did she say?" Ms. Monaco asked dryly. Cornelia looked at Lili, who hid her face under the covers and nodded meekly.<br>"How long ago?" the doctor asked.  
>"Wedding night," she whimpered.<br>The blunt woman shrugged. "Figures. This is probably correct then."  
>The naive girl looked out from under the covers. "What...what does that mean?"<br>England gulped. "Liechtenstein...you're pregnant."

**AN: Star Trek fans, anyone? Anybody who can figure out why I call these people "Linkgons," gets a cyber cookie.**

**ZOMG! *American side of self comes out* My friend and I designed and created a "Hetaliopoly" (Monopoly that's Hetalia themed) board and made the Title Deeds and everything. It's SOOO much fun! Spent at least 15 hours playing it so far.**

**Oh, Pardon. I just watched "Rick Steve's Europe: Switzerland," and apparently their liquor is called "Appenzeller," not "Apellenzer." Whoops.**

**Hmm? Oh, you're probably hyperventilating about Lili's baby. Sorry for the cheesiness.**

**Haha, we had to pick a nation to do our term papers on (serious business-takes like four months to complete) and people were literally fighting over Switzerland. I didn't watch Hetalia at the time so I didn't know (I wound up doing Scotland). But they've got everything, Swiss Army Knives, Swiss Miss, ect...Apparently there was a famous Swiss philosopher guy named "Zwingli," so when I heard that Switzerland's name was "Vash Zwingli," I laughed.**

**It seems that the country is very peaceful on the inside... It's one of the most expensive places in Europe, and has lots of goats, mountains, cows, and cheese.**

**(EAT MY CHEESE! Okay I spurted water out at the screen and laughed when he said that. Especially when I watched the "Ten Minute Challenge," on youtube.)**

**Okay, don't forget the contests! There's the old one, for best theme song: Take your pick, "She Will Be Loved," by Maroon 5, and "I like you, I love you (Suki Daisuke)" by Kagamine Rin.**

**(I loovvve Rin, but I have to say I am leaning towards M5, just because the lyrics fit. Well, they fit in Japanese too, but...sigh. I like that song...Adam Levine has a nice voice.)**

**Here are key lyrics from each song to help you choose:**

**She Will Be Loved:**  
><strong>I don't mind spending every day<strong>  
><strong>Out on your corner in the pouring rain<strong>  
><strong>Look for the girl with a broken smile<strong>  
><strong>Ask her if she wants to stay a while<strong>  
><strong>And she will be loved.<strong>

**Tap on my window, knock on my door, I**  
><strong>Want to make you feel beautiful<strong>  
><strong>I know I tend to get so insecure<strong>  
><strong>Doesn't matter anymore<strong>

**It's not always rainbows and butterflies**  
><strong>It's compromise, it moves us along...<strong>

**and**

**Suki Daisuke**

**Hey, hey, hey, could you look for a minute?**  
><strong>I have a game we could play?<strong>  
><strong>Um, how do we play? Sorry, I'm not very good at this...<strong>  
><strong>Maybe you're hungry? Do you want something to eat?<strong>  
><strong>Oops! Sorry, all I have is water!<strong>

**Why is so it so hard to express my feelings? (excessive nonsensical rambling)**  
><strong>I mean, what I'm trying to say, but, um...I but, I um...I li-li-li-li-li-li-li-i-li-li-li sorry, forgot what I was saying, um, I but, I um, I li-li-li-li-li-li-li-li-li like, I love you!<strong>

**Both work.**

**NEW CONTEST! Best quote.**

**Which were the best quotes from Switzerland and Liechtenstein in the anime/manga? I've provided some options, but you can list any quote.**

**For Vash a few come to mind...**  
><strong>"BEND OVER OR I'LL BEAT YOU WITH MY PEACE PRIZE!"<strong>  
><strong>*pops out of random door* "STICK UP FOR YOURSELF, JAPAN, DAMMIT!" *pops out* (awkward silence)<strong>  
><strong>"EAT MY CHEESE!"<strong>  
><strong>"They may have sharp fangs readied with poisons to kill you, but if you take one as a pet, take two because they deserve to have friends!"<strong>  
><strong>"I...could have...expensive cheese...if I wanted to...I could buy it...meh..."<strong>  
><strong>*lili holds his hand* *he sighs and smiles...then remembers Austria* *frown* "Whyyy can't I get that stupid Austria out of my head?-!" *bangs head with bucket*<strong>

**Liechtenstein**

**"You look wonderful in that pink frilly nightgown I made you." (Swiss- *failing to smile* "Thank you.")**  
><strong>"I didn't ask, but okay..."<strong>  
><strong>"BIG BRUDER!"<strong>

**(Her quotes aren't as humorous, but they're so cute! You can give Prussia, Hungary, or Austria quotes too if you want. We all know what the greatest quote of all time in Hetalia is...**  
><strong>*!*)<strong>  
><strong>* Miss Havisham: Weird old lady in "Great Expectations," by Charles Dickens, who has been wearing a wedding dress for decades and wears only one shoe.<strong>  
><strong>** Nande: Japanese for wwwwhhhhhyyyy? Sometimes they say something that sounds like 'Nanio!" Which I'm pretty sure is the equivalent of 'what the heck," or something like that. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I only know what I watch from anime.<strong>  
><strong>Oh, did I tell y'all?<strong>  
><strong>My first word was 'aragato.' (Japanese word for 'thank you.')<strong>  
><strong>HOW AWESOME IS THAT?<strong>  
><strong>It's a hard word, too...well I guess that was boding of the future...*is a word geek* *went to national spelling bee* *likes to write*<strong>  
><strong>I was born in Tokyo, so yah...<strong>

**Lastly: As promised, I will repeat a small section of the AN at the beginning of the chapter, and ask you guys for feedback. Here it is:**

**Some of you have been asking: why the aliens? Why not just stick with the classic love story and "7 days or marry" theme?**  
><strong>I have two answers for you.<strong>  
><strong>The first is, love is too idealized, in movies, in books, and especially in fanfiction. Okay so there is a lot of turmoil but in the end, they get married, woohoo, they have a perfect lovey dovey life and have twin children or something like that. Predictable, and sadly, unrealistic.<strong>  
><strong>Love is complicated. It isn't that easy. Yeah the romance is great and cute at first, but there are problems down the road, and every couple deals with it differently.<strong>  
><strong>This chapter especially deals with the idea of couple thrown together in marriage too early, and before it could really be thought through properly.<strong>  
><strong>Happens all the time.<strong>  
><strong>And the question is, will they stick it out and keep their marriage alive, or will they break up? Know a bunch of kids that have divorced parents because they couldn't work it out.<strong>  
><strong>Also deals with fear and traumatic experience from things like rape (also know kids who suffer from that) Oh BTW, this chapter is VERY T RATED. Things like that aren't just interesting stories, they are true feelings that can scar a person and leave them damaged, man or woman.<strong>  
><strong>And the second reason is that after examining Hetalia further, I realized that even though we make fun of all ethnicities in it, and it's primarily humor, I think it has the power to unify people. That was a big theme in the very strange, "Paint it White." We spend too much time bickering amongst each other.<strong>  
><strong>The character of Switzerland is an interesting way to bring this out; he has no love for everyone's stupidity and tries to stay indifferent to the world. But when the world is in trouble, can he see the good in people and make an effort to save them, or will he just let them suffer since they brought a good deal of it on themselves?<strong>  
><strong>Lots of Star Trek implications come to mind...*suppresses annoying fangirl side of self* cough, never mind.<strong>  
><strong>Anyways, hope you guys see the message I put in this story, please don't skip over any parts, and I apologize for the cheesy alien scene. I just suck at writing but I try to put a purpose to it. (THIS CHAPTER WAS SOOO BAD)<strong>  
><strong>Do you think I did a good job portraying this message or did I utterly fail and ruin the story? Honesty is the trait I appreciate most.<strong>  
><strong>Flames totally welcome.<strong>

**PLEASE REVIEW THOUGH. It's always been my dream for a story of mine to reach 100 reviews, it's never happened before. I'd really love it if you could help me reach my goal. If not, that's okay; I'm still so happy for success!**  
><strong>I also want you guys to know that I take the time to really consider your feedback. I'm sorry I haven't been able to mention user names, because of tech difficulties, but I have been implementing everything that I can in the story. Thanks so much for your support. The next, and final chapter (except for maybe a short epilogue) is in the works as we speak.<strong>

**If you are too lazy to leave a review, here are some more standard Copy-and-Pastes you can do.**

**That was...weird.**  
><strong>MEIN GOTT!<strong>  
><strong>Poor Prussia!<strong>  
><strong>That took me four hours to read.<strong>  
><strong>I fell asleep.<strong>  
><strong>Aliens killed the story.<strong>  
><strong>I like the new plotline. Continue, please.<strong>  
><strong>I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE THIS THING IS FREAKIN STRAIGHT! (As of now, this is the longest Heterosexual story in the Hetalia archive)<strong>  
><strong>Slap me, I'm Irish. 0x0<strong>  
><strong>EAT MY CHEESE!<strong>

**PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks.**


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys! So sorry for keeping you all on edge. This week was spirit week homecoming craziness and this new year has been very strenuous academically, so...this chapter isn't really too close to completion. However, I know if I give myself a due date, it will get done. So here it is. This will be done by November first, possibly sooner. Sorry to keep you waiting. I will try to get it done by October fifteenth, but if things prove difficult, it will most certainly be done by November. Okay, thanks! BTW, this next chapter I'd the last one. 


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